KASHIDO - a tale of uniqueness

KASHIDO Orangutan X IIAD

Brief ‘KASHIDO’ is the native term used for the skill kashida- hand embroidery. The brief reflects on presenting a range of garments, western and Indian for both men and women for the brand Orangutan. It was a team project and certain categories were divided amongst the team mates to work further with. The brand also focused on the aspect of sustainability hence a few zero waste garments were also the part of the range. The garments were supposed to reflect the embroideries of Rajasthan, hence a seven days field trip was also a part of the brief, Traveling to the village Bajju and staying in URMUL hostel, then daily traveling to the field to gain one on one experience with the Kashidars.

Types of Kashida Kashida means needle work or embroidery. Kashidakari is a traditional craft performed by communities in Bajju, Kolayat Tehsil, Bikaner district The craft has the rich history of many generations of women from ancient Rajasthan. This started as a traditional way of recylclying old clothes. As some artisans are migrated from Pakistan, we can see traces of their roots as well. Use of 3 strands of the anchor threads remain as an identification of the craft.

PAKKO

KHAMBIRI

SINDHI

KHARAK

Various stitches in Kashido

Kachha Takka/ Running stitch

Bakhiya/Back stitch Kachha Kanad

Latt/Chain stitch

Kaanch

Bashada

Phullardi

Panardi

Tippiya

Khidki Kanad

Chund

Ritu

Embroidery ideations and samples

A composition of various stitches into an thoughtful pattern with contrasting and/or tonal threads. Use of different sizes of mirrors to experiment and challenge the regular trace of designs. Understanding proportions and aesthetics with respect to placements of the embroidery or motif.

embroider on yolk

Embroidery for sleeve hem

Playing with size of mirror

composition of Kachha and pakka embroideries

Embroidery for cuff or sleeve hem

URMUL The URMUL Rural Health, Research and Development Trust, Bikaner was initiated by URMUL Dairy (Uttari Rajasthan Cooperative Milk Union Ltd.), Bikaner in 1983. URMUL Trust represents a family of organizations working towards social and economic change in the lives of the people in the harsh, inhospitable and interior regions of western Rajasthan. What keeps these different organizations and the Trust together are a set of shared feelings, values and commitment about work and processes of development. The care of the development premise of the URMUL TRUST is an intrinsic faith in the capacity of rural people to devise, manage and sustain development programmes We were touching the roots of Bajju and the desert experience while staying at the hostel in URMUL. Community living is one of the prominent factor that inspired me..

Deli talai Experience

Deli talai is a very small village in Bikaner, no electricity and no basic facilities that we are provided was available there. We were assigned one kashidar each, a very emotional connect was evoked during these seven days, kachhe ghar were seen all around , all women used to gather in one veranda to work on kashida and tea is a very important part of their routine, superisngly we also got used to it and guess what the milk they used was fresh goat milk. Their lifestyle is very different from us but still they have nothing to complain about. The artisans treated us like their own kids and even though there was a language difference and both were unable to understand each other at first but on the last day nothing felt new or uncomfortable We learnt kashido but also about a rich culture of Rajasthan, which is now getting transparent under the modern city lights..

Gokul Experiemce

We also visited Gokul, a village in Rajasthan, for just one day to soak the skill of ‘Sindi’ kashida. The artisans were dressed in the same way as the ones in Deli talai, but the embroidery they did was totaly different. Here the majority of the artisans knew only sindhi and not the other kashidas that we learnt at Deli talai. Luckily we were also able to witness a traditional ceremony, ‘Roka’ ceremony it was a new experience for me. The groom was not dressed up fancy but the head who performed the ceremony wore a big colorful turban, a sward was given to the groom as they belonged to the Rajputana family. The women covered their face and sang a folk song.

Meet Keku Devi, my mentor for learning the desert craft embroidery. She was one of the most senior artisans, she did not understand Hindi but i learned alot about her culture, like the chhudah she wore, the silver anklets and other traditional lifestyle ways. All artisans were favorable of bright colors, it made them more intrigued towards their work. They liked contrasting embroidery rather than tonal. They inherited this craft, and were so much skilled, they didn't require scale or any other measurement tool, but used a needle in straight grain to form a guide line. Such things really fascinated me. Moreover Keku Devi had a great emotional impact on me as well.

A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.

Diane Mariechild

Trend Study A brief on the points that would benifit with the process of design realisation in terms of trend forecasts.

Exaggerate with embroidery

flared hemline in a unique way

inspiration from traditional indiam garment WGSN research- exaggerate the sleeves - flared leg pants - bringing back the trends from the past - functionality - loose garment silhouette

Kashidars working for Orangutan

According to the trend research via WGSN, I filtered out few key points ,older trends would be prominent for 21/22 collections, hand based detailings will have a preceeding hand and loose silhouettes are considerable. Minimalist approch to each of these keypoints can give my garment a uniqueness and would also not clash with the traditional style of the brand.

Inspirational garment The Jama is an outer garment that was worn

by Mughal royalty and was first introduced to India by the Mughals. The Jama is shaped like a tunic and has a fitted bodice with a flared skirt that starts from the waist. Two of the characteristic features of a jama are that it is long sleeved and is securely tied under the armpits. The Jama was initially a formal wear outer garment, which means that it must have been heavy on embellishments and other elements that added to the grandeur of the outfit. Although initially associated with the Muslims who came to India in the Mughal era, the jama was reinvented and modified so as to be made an acceptable outer garment for all communities in India.

The custom of wearing a jama has long since disappeared from the culture and customs of India. They however, are on display in a number of prominent museums in India and across the world as a statement to the world about India’s rich cultural heritage. Moreover, the jama has given way to many garments that have gone through their customary stages of evolution to give us some of the most popular formal wear one sees in India today, the Sherwani.

Nevertheless, historical events are being brought back into the mainstream textile and fashion industry of India by many renowned designers.

There are more than just a few defining features of a Jama: The sleeves are long and end in gathers at the cuff.

The ties can be secured under the armpit.

This distinguishes it from the angrakha, which has ties to the side.

The length of the Jama has remained between thigh-length to ankle-length depending on its evolution through the ages.

The opening, besides being asymmetric, is also plain. This stands in contrast to the Chakdar jama which ends in four zig-zag edges that reveal colorful inner lining.

The decoration and brocading of the garment is usually different on the cuffs, the neckline and the opening, basically any ending of the cloth, than it is on the rest of the jama. Usually, the edges are embellished more heavily than the body of the garment.

JAMA

Silhouette Study

Manipulated neckline

Overlaps and ties

Chudidar sleeves

Flare

Front tie up

According to the trend study minimalistic design from manipulating the traditional Indian garments stays the protagonist in my point of view. Getting inspiration from the traditional ways of lifestyle, incorporating basic embroideries but in a distinct and unique placement. Techniques like fagoting are prominent in the trend forecast of SS 20/21. Balancing the prints and embroiders in a muted fashion. Use of overlays and creating contrast through colors or variety of fabrics, creating contrast is now my focus. Focus of the upcoming trend falls on flared and loose silhouettes.

Using various detailing techniques to highlight movements.

Summit Ghose is the founder and managing director of Orangutan, a social enterprise which seeks to bring about socio economic development and inclusive growth in rural India by engaging both: the community and the market.

Hand-loom fabric is woven on a frame loom, keeping in mind the layouts and placement of stripes that is carefully designed in advance. Engineered stripes on the garment could be warp-based, weft-based or both.

Hand embroidery of Kashmir excels in colors, beauty, texture and designs. The Kashmiri hand embroidery work uses simple stitches such as satin, stem, chain and long & short stitches with occasional use of herringbone, button hole and darning stitches.

Ralli means ‘to connect’ and is the art of connecting small pieces of recycled fabric.

These colorful bits of fabric are placed in geometric patterns and hand-stitched together with precision.

Tie and dye are the art of tying small knots on fine fabrics by pinching it with the help of a thimble. The design is resisted by knotting and then dyed in various colors.

Overlap and drawstrings

Layers and volume

Flare

These are the references of silhouettes I picked up from Orangutan. Further i developed a silhouette board which included the silhouettes I desire to use and which would also not over power the silhouettes currently being used by Orangutan,which are experimentative enough but still would cater the requirements of the target audience Orangutan deals with.

Silhouette Reference

This is with reference to the study of silhouettes observed in orangutan and the trend forecast through WGSN.

Silhouette Details

LAYERS

TRANSLUCENCY

POCKETS

COWLS

DRAWSTRINGS

This is with reference to the trend forecasts and the details which would not over power or violate any of rangsutra’s traditional incorporation of details.

Keywords

Cowl Functional Drawstring Overlapping Layering

Translate Handwoven Ikat, launched in 2012 is a concept apparel and home textile label in India with the primary focus in reviving the age-old art of Ikat by honoring the artisan's know-how.

They celebrate the craft of Ikat by sustaining the exquisite beauty it inherits through modern reinterpretation of heritage.

Translate commits in giving new lease of life to Ikat craft technique by empowering and providing consistent employment to the sixth generation artisanal communities.

Ikat is one of the oldest known patterned textiles in the world, with a history that spans across multiple cultures and is known to have existed in India since the 6th Century.

The Shop is a family run business that focuses on designed hand crafted textiles Workshop designed with organic materials, open spaces and natural light to create an environment that inspires crafts people and designers.

Block and screen prints, machine and hand embroidery patterns and have quilting facilities all under one roof. They develop new dyeing techniques.

No matter what time of the year you pay them (or their website) a visit, you’ll find lots of patchwork and nature-inspired prints in light and soothing shades.Â

Conclusion After conducting the brand study of the shortlisted brands that lie in the most closet frames of competition, there were some points taken in notice to proceed further.

Promote the embroideries Uniqueness Keep it minimalistic

Using embroidery in joineries, and hidden details.

Keeping the target audience in mind, i listed out a few key points to ponder on, a consumer is fascinated to know about the background of a garment, which in proportion increases the interest and value of the garment. To make a garment unique, placement of the embroideries should be unique, which grabs attention of the customer. Minimalistic yet outspoken is another way to attract a crowd. Rangsutra has a great process to follow which gives each garment a unique story, which no other brand caters, this should be taken forward.

Mood Board

M g sin

r i f usa

Evoking the mood of a musing musafir.

Mu

Color Board

The colors extracted from the regional color scheme, with respect to the trend forecast from WGSN

Iteration FINAL DESIGN

kachha takka

Motif Button

Flap

Kachha takka Motif

Motif

Embroidery

Seam line with embroidery

Flare

Overlapping flap

Dori for fastening

Transparent hem on sleeve

embroidery on belt

drawstring

pocket with embroidery

loose pockets with gathers

36�

26�

upper panel- translucent kachha takka

cowls

drawstring on belt to adjust waist

wide waist band button fastner

inseam pockets with katchha takka on opening pannel

overlaping panel motif placement

oval pannel with kachha takka and dori

drawstring on surface

inseam pocket

motif around the stich line of pannel

droped crotch kachha takka translucent hem

button fastner button fastner trasnlucent panel attached to waist band

overlaping panel motif placement drawstring on surface

inseam pocket main garment

phuladi motif drawstring on hem

kachha takka translucent hem

kaftaan sleeves

fuladi with khambiri drawstring

pakka with fulardi draw string

pocket with piping drawstring tunnel

Drawstring motif placement in the sleeve flair and on back angrakha tie up

kaftaan sleeve- attached to the side seam of bodice

bakhiya

Motif Slit

cowls drawstring

Display of the samples of all students, that we made with the artisans at the field, with composition of all types of stitches

Motif board

Personal motif board with individual ideas, blend of geometric shapes with traditional embroideries to experiment with the regular embroideries.

Motif development

Representing the motif with chain stitch.

This is the selected motif for the garment based on the group decision. An abstract depiction of the trails of camel that move along all across the desert.

Motif Development by Priyanka Rao.

Exploring embroideries for sleeve hem

The final garment reflects the traditional Indian silhouettes, ‘JAMA’. It is inspired from the overlaps and layers and also the placement of the embroidery in the older times. The garment evokes a mood of contrast felt while traveling to a desert. It is free flowing, loose and unique.

The flare of the garment is derived from a unique silhouette and yet succeeds to stay within the traditional frame of the brand. The garment it self has a feel of the desert which is hot in the day and cold at night, creating an essence for the owner.

s

he

c 2 in

11 inches

1

Overlapping flap

45 inches

Dori

Seam line

Flare

Process

The process involved basic steps of joining all parts of the Kurta but the flap was attached to the right side seam in the front then stitched together. The flap was finished with a Dori inside the facing and the other string

Attached in the left side seam.

The part where the rectangle shape come in place tend to be part of the side seam and stitched likewise.

Variations

Design by Stuti Arora

Design by Rashi Jalan

Design by Abhiveer Mehta

Design by Shuchita Paul

Design by Priyanka Rao

Design by Abhiveer and Priyanka

मंजिल बड़ी हो तो सफ़र में कारवां छूट जाता है, मिलता है मुकाम तो सबका वहम टूट जाता है.

Group picture of all the students and the artisans in Deli talai.