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Textile Design
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nidhi.dang1@gmail.com |
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Ties of Tradition
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Exploring Bandhani, Arashi Shibori and Hand Embroidery
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Guide Aditi Ranjan |
Sponsonr Rajesh Pratap Singh, New Delhi
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For my project, I worked with Delhi based fashion designer Rajesh Pratap Singh season who is known for contemporary yet minimalist designs.
My assignment was to develop a range of apparel fabrics for the Spring-Summer ’09 season.
First, I identified crafts and craftsmen in Kutch and developed designs in collaboration with them. Next, concepts for contemporary apparel yardage were developed within the factory at Faridabad. Finally, I took the project back to Kutch where reinterpreting a traditional technique for the client, a fashion designer, became the focal point.
I also developed a home furnishing collection and a set of scarves using surface designs. These included a set of yardages for women’s garments combining Bandhani with in-house embroidery techniques; Surfaces in suf for home furnishings (this time done in Ahmedabad and not Kutch); A collection of Arashi Shibori yardages for men’s shirts reusing waste prints and a collection of Bandhani scarves.
For the last one, I selected an image of Khatri rumals and selected Bandhani as my technique. A thorough understanding of the craft was required. I built a swatch database containing various types of traditional stitches for reference. I also undertook substantial research to locate craftspeople who are still engaged in and carrying the original craft tradition forward.
Promoting social linkages between craftspeople and client was a challenging opportunity – applying the client’s modern and contemporary aesthetics to the traditional wisdom of the craft without destroying the craft’s own aesthetic sensibilities and vocabulary. This experience also provided me exposure to issues pertaining to globalization, recycling and sustainable development. |
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