The Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakme Fashion Week 2019 was a big deal for it tried exploring and answering some of the questions about sustainability. Dedicated to greater ecological integrity and a wholesome system which is both fair and fruitful, the day explored the change that fashion could become if it were to go sustainable.
The idea of sustainability remains slightly hazy in the fashion world and often lurks around just exploring relevant textiles. For starters, the most important and most basic thing that needs to be understood here is that sustainability is not a part of a big system, it is an entire system, the vision of which however mighty is not unachievable. At least, that’s what Day 2 at Lakme Fashion Week had us believing.
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Aavaran Udaipur seized the opportunity to showcase a collection dedicated to Indian festivities. With garments made of handmade print surfaces inspired by the artwork of Danish artist Anne Vildoli, the brand showcased an array of contemporary designs done in contemporary fabrics. Mostly done in shades of dove grey and ivory, the collection featured an array of convenient and festive Indian clothing.
At the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2019, Aavaran’s ‘An Ode to Dabu’ collection was showcased. The Udaipur based label brought Dabu mud resist, hand dying, block print garments into the fashion world again.
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Aavaran Udaipur In Lakme Fashion Week 2019
Started in 2011, Aavaran is the brainchild of Alka Sharma who is a textile graduate from the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design. It was established in Udaipur by the Centre of the Study of Values (COS-V), a leading NGO that is for the development of women and children in Southern Rajasthan. The Aavaran brand retails from Udaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Options, Ogaan, Ensemble, Artisans, Mélange, Aza as well as stores in New York, Korea, and Japan.
The collection – Miniature Moon opened with energy, swirling and twirling was Manisha Rathod and Pooja Chauhan to the traditional music setting the mood for the audience waiting to watch the ramp. The Miniature Moon collection showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2019 by Aavaran was an ode to Dabu and took inspiration from the artworks of Anne Vilsboell. With colors such as grey, indigo, blue moving to green, Haldi, madder red gold and silver foil created a celestial, space like serene aura where the garments were showcased offering a mesmerizing experience to the viewers and at the same time offering creative choices to the fashionistas.
With majestic and breathtaking structures the silhouettes were inspired by the Indian Royal Costumes on mud resist techniques and hand-woven fabrics such as mulberry silk, chanderi, mushroom fabrics – A textile that is developed from mushroom spores and plant fibers. The collection offered Angarkhas, jamas, wide pyjamas, boxy blouses, tunics, kurtas, and Pheran style kurtas gave a wide choice to the ethnic dresser. The quaint motifs of Indianised Cherubs, crescent moons, florals, and starry skies were created to suit the modern aesthetics of fashion with the help of the ‘pittan’ embroidery techniques.
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The collection offered much to the women as it was consisting of blouses, lehengas, long luxurious coats, pants, palazzos, empire line blouses, flared kurtas, smocked long-sleeved maxi and interesting creations with intricate side pleats. The saris with motifs were created in a way that when worn with long coats, short coats, shawl collars it gave an impact of a strong feminine feeling. Jodhpur pants with peplum blouses, faux-front pinafore kurta, flowing empire line gathered gown and the full flared blouse added to the feminine quotient of the collection.
The men’s wear was kept traditional but impactful. There were bundgalas, kurtas, bundi and Jodhpuri pants. Strategic placement prints appeared on the shoulders of sleeves for the robes and kurtas, while the two-toned fabrics were livened up with motifs from the inspiration. Smocking was intricate on the bodice of dresses, while the kurtas and bundies for men had discreet prints. Mrunal Thakur, the talented Bollywood star took to close the show in a luxurious ivory lehenga with along sleeved peplum blouse with gold motifs.
“An Ode to Dabu” by Aavaran featuring the “Miniature Moon Collection” was a grand offering and will be in the list of many especially because of the wedding and festive season around the corner.
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Besides a range of contemporized ‘Dabu’ mud-resist, hand-dyed and hand block-printed garments, Aavaran Echoes of Rural India also offers home furnishings and accessories. Aavaran has employed more than 100 people in the design and production department. This includes 25 block-printers & dyers as well as supports livelihoods of more than 200 women artisans across four independently run training centers in the villages of Debari, Matun, Kanpur, and Zawar. In its debut show, Sustainable Fashion Day, Aavaran showcased a festive Indian collection made with handmade print surfaces inspired by Danish artist Anne Vilsoll’s contemporary artwork series ‘miniature moon.’