Delighted to be part of, The Fabric of India, exhibit to be held at the V&A museum, London, in October, designer duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla says, India has an unsurpassed arts and crafts legacy. We still have the artisans, and full knowledge of every technique. It is this wealth that we as artists must safeguard and build upon. India is our Eternal Muse. We are unabashedly in love with our textile and embroidery legacy. It is our passion and mission is to revive, regenerate and reinvent craftsmanship and give it new expression and relevance in today’s world and for the future.
Their showcase will consist of the following:
Real Mirror Ghaghra:
Embroideries from Gujarat have always fascinated the designers and they have work extensively on both thread and mirror work techniques from the State. The duo loved the play of mirror and colours that are quintessentially folksy and festive. The flared 10 panel ghagra, took two months to make and weighs over 10 kgs as a set which includes a dupatta, blouse and stole.
Chikan sari:
Chikan was invented as a craft technique by the Mughals. Featuring a host of stitches and motifs, it was the most intricate and delicate of embroideries, and adorned the homes and clothes of Royalty and Aristocracy. Cut to the 1990s and Chikankari had been reduced to crude stitches, haphazard motifs, essayed on cheap fabrics and fit for only casual mass market fashion. The designers spent three years training artisans in Lucknow to restore it to its rightful place as the most Haute of all Couture.
