Textile appreciationSabyasachi MukherjeePURVA AGRAWAL M/FC/09/18 FV-V

Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Sabyasachi

Mukherjee

Sabyasachi graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Calcutta in 1999 and just four short months later launched his own label. In  2001, he won the Femina British Council’s Most Outstanding Young Designer of India Award, which took him to London for an internship with designer Georgina Von

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He describes his own collections as ‘an International styling with an

Indian soul’

Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Etzdorf. The internship was a instrumental in helping the designer to broaden his world view and design sensibilities. Upon his return, Sabyasachi began retailing in all the major stores in India. In 2002, he participated in his first fashion week at Lakme Fashion Week where his debut collection earned him rave reviews from both the national and international press. Women’s Wear Daily, considered the most respected international trade magazine, called Sabyasachi the “future of Indian fashion.”

Sabyasachi realized early on that in order to succeed in the international market, it was not about westernizing Indian garments but rather modernizing styles and shapes to create mass market appeal. And thus he focused on using local, handwoven fabrics like khadi, handloom silk as well as regional arts like block printing, bandhani and gota work as a way to both promote and preserve the country’s artisinal heritage. His pieces tend to have a vintage, almost yesteryear look to them but his designs are always modern, chic and elegant.

Design style and Inspirations

His inspirations range from desert landscapes, gypsies, prostitutes, antique textiles to the cultural traditions of his home town, Kolkata. He believes that designing should just be an extension of one's intellect. His main work originates from the traditional clothes and handwork with patches and sequences. He uses remarkable fabrics, texturing and detailing, with a blend of styles patch-worked with stunning embellishments in a vibrant eclectic color palette to make the feeling of going back to the ancient times.His collections are

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

characterized by a very "vintage" feel, and at the same time they are very contemporary.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s style mantra is fusion and his design philosophy is straight and simple – ‘Intuition makes a garment work not rules ’.

Although, his design sensibility is firmly Indian, his unique combination of prints, textures, and colors cut in contemporary silhouettes have created an inimitable style and given his collections a truly global appeal. Sabyasachi realized early on that in order to succeed in the international market, it was not about westernizing Indian garments but rather modernizing styles and shapes to create mass market appeal.

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Textiles and TechniquesHe gives importance to the Indian textiles, handicrafts and handlooms. He makes sure that the fabrics he uses for his collections undergo a lot of treatment to give them a "streetside" look and feel. Often the fabrics are burned and bleached to give them the right shade and texture.

He has seamlessly experimented with a traditional Bengali embroidery form called "kantha-stich." His favorite fabrics include cotton voils, georgettes, chiffons and organza.

he focused on using local, handwoven fabrics like khadi, handloom silk as well as regional arts like block printing, bandhani and gota work as a way to both promote and preserve the country’s artisinal heritage.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee is a well-known designer for choosing earthy hues, organic fabrics and woven patterns. He chooses fabrics that always have a traditional inspiration and an Indian touch to it. His fabrics are predominantly khadhi, cottons, woven and hand dyed textiles with an electric mix of weaves which are diversified from Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan which brings out the strong essence of India and its culture.

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Design collectionsLakme fashion week winter’festive 2011

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Sabyasachi Presented the look of the North West Frontier Province and the styles favoured by the girls in Patiala, Sabyasachi added touches of Kathak and Kathakali for the silhouettes.

Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Textiles usedSabyasachi Used khadi, organza, net, silk and velvet and beautiful thread work from Kashmir with Zardozi in shimmering silver with floral designs on boleros, waistcoats, and edges of swirling kurtas, bundis, tunics, cholis, cropped tops, sherwanis, and dupattas. Black, brown, khaki, red, orange, black, white comprised the colour palette.Sunderban floral prints were seen on men's churidars, dupattas or saris .

Khadi or khaddar refers to varieties of coarse cotton cloth,

which have been hand woven using hand spun yarn. Peasants and artisans in pre-industrial India always wore Khadi that had been made from locally grown Organic cotton, harvested by local labourers, spun into yarn by their womenfolk and woven into cloth by men from various specialist weaving castes. The precise technology involved in the production of Khadi would vary from region to region, as would the techniques used for its decoration (dyeing, embroidery, printing etc)

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, with his passion for Indian textiles, who have stayed faithful to ethnic cultural influences on fashion and enticed clients with khadi. Sabya has been famously quoted as

saying in an interview that he finds it "strange that many Indian designers have nothing to do with local, hand-woven fabrics I genuinely love khadi. Its refinement lies in its humility, which is why I have used it in all my collections."

The designer put out an all-khadi bridal line last year, only to watch it fly

off the shelves. Last month, he closed Dubai Fashion Week with an all-khadi collection modelled along Western lines. What's more, he has drawn Bollywood to the cause, dressing heroines like Vidya

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Balan (Paa) and Aishwarya (Ravana and Guzaarish) almost exclusively in khadi outfits on screen.

Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk. Many modern organzas are woven with synthetic filament fibers such as polyester or nylon, but the most luxurious organzas are still made of silk.[ Silk organza is used for bridalwear and eveningwear. In the interiors market it is used for effects in bedrooms and between rooms. Double-width organzas in viscose and acetate are used as sheer curtains. It is produced from highly twisted yarn. After a starchy finish the fabric gets a rough texture. Organza is used as sari material as well as for embroidered garments.

Silk the most beautiful of all textile fibers is acclaimed as the queen of textiles. It comes from the cocoon of the silk worm and requires a great deal of handling and processing, which makes it one

of the most expensive fibers also. Today China is the leading silk producer of the world. Other major silk producing countries include Japan, India and Italy. A range of thin silk to deluxe qualities are produced in this category using filature. Fabrics ranging from 20 gm to 70 gm are produced in this category using both handloom as well as powerloom. The fabrics is available as per the requirements in different shades as

well as in checks and stripes. Beautiful pin stripes are a specialty for shirting. Plain silk is mostly used by exporters for making ladies blouses, fashion garments, made-ups and scarves. Deluxe and super deluxe qualities are also produced as per specific orders.

Velvet soft piled fabric of silk, cotton or synthetic material. Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".Velvet is woven on a special loom that weaves two thicknesses of velvet at the same time. The two pieces are then cut apart to create the pile effect, and the two lengths of fabric are wound on separate take-up rolls. Velvet was expensive to make before industrial power looms became available. Velvet is difficult to clean because of its pile, but modern dry cleaning methods make cleaning more feasible. Velvet pile is created by warp or vertical yarns and velveteen pile is created by weft or fill yarns. Velvet can be made from many different kinds of fibres, traditionally silk. Velvet made entirely from silk has market prices of several hundred US dollars per yard. Cottoncan also be used, though this often results in a slightly less luxurious fabric. Velvet can also be made from fibers such as linen, mohair, and wool.

Embellishments and techniques

Kashimiri embroidery famous needlework that the artisans of Kashmir are adept at. This threadwork is known as embroidery.

The Kashmiri jaal work is quite popular. It takes months to complete thread work on one shawl, stole or bedspread.

Artisans stitch decorative motifs of birds, maple leaves, and other decorative designs. The most popular form of thread work is the chain stitch that is done on shawls and clothes.

Kashmiri jamavar shawls with intricate thread work are in demand all over the

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

world. The special feature of this type of thread work is that these shawls can be worn on both sides, that is, the patterns stitched on one side cone out with the same finish on the other side, with no threads sticking out. The sozoni style embroidery stitching is also very popular. Gold thread is also is used for zardozi work on saris, gowns and shawls. The sozoni thread work is usually done on the borders of the shawls. Brocade patterns are woven on some of the pashmina shawls.

Zardozi work is an ancient Persian art which has been passed down for many generations, dating back before the Mughal empire, reaching its zenith under the patronage of Emperor Akbar in the 17th century.  Zardozi adorned the costumes of the court, wall hanging, scabbards, regal side walls of tents and the rich trappings of elephants and horses. Intricate patterns traced in gold and silver, studded with seed pearls and precious stones enhanced the shimmering beauty of silk, velvet and brocade. The art of Zardozi was revived along with many traditional methods of embroidery in the middle of this century. Zari work was mainly done in Madras and Zardozi in Hyderabad until a few decades ago. Today, Lucknow is home to this finest work of gold and silver embroidery. ardozi embroidery is hand stitched predominately by Muslim men.Zardozi is fashioned with a needle that resembles a very small crochet hook which is used to run up and down through the cloth, much like a sewing machine, while the cloth is pulled tightly over a

large wooden frame.  Zardozi has remained as an appliqué method of embroidery. With one hand the craftsman holds a retaining thread below the fabric. In the other he holds a hook or a needle with which he picks up the appliqué materials. Then he passes the needle or hook through the fabric. After days of painstaking labor, the result is an exquisite gold-veined work of art.

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

This kind of stitching allows the craftsman to use both hands as he works.  The hand above the cloth works the needle, while the hand below the cloth ties each stitch - making Zardozi  products not only beautiful but durable.

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Silhouettes Sabyasachi says, "My collection this time is based on the North West Frontier Province. It is what girls in Patiala wear while going to schools. It also has influences of Kathakali and Kathak. It's adolescent in feel yet very mature. I have used Khadi and other woven fabrics with Kashmiri thread-work, lot of texturing and zardosi. I have used bling here but in a sophisticated manner. I feel bling can look beautiful if used rightly or else it looks flashy. This collection has got a stark look."

Black, brown, khaki, red, orange, black, white, the Sunderban floral prints, wide silhouettes, immaculate tailoring along with simple

styles which could truly be considered basic

The famed Kashmir embroidery appeared on boleros, waistcoats, and edges of swirling kurtas, bundis, tunics, cholis, cropped tops, sherwanis, and dupattas. The wide Patiala salwars, the elephant pants, the flowing palazzos and the cowled pants matched perfectly with the smocks,

tunics, kurtas, and jackets.The saris with ornate borders at times split into velvet and net with shimmering edges were teamed with long sleeved embroidered cholis. The gleaming velvet smocks with embellished bodices and Patiala salwars, the cute scaled down versions of the same for the young boys and girls, ensured that the collection will be a sure fire seller anywhere around the globe. Detailing was restricted to rows of tiny buttons down the front and the occasional Sunderban floral print

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

appeared on men's churidars, dupattas or saris leaving the majority of the show in solid monotones.

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Design collectionLakme Fashion Week 2008 ‘Sanctuary’

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Sabyasachi unveiled a line inspired by wildlife sanctuaries. The outfits were meant to evoke pictures and images in the mind of people who have either visited a sanctuary or seen photos of it.

Line is inspired by "plastic farmlands and sugary brothels"

Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Textiles usedSabyasachi Mukherjee’s title was Sanctuary for his collection. The designer said it included inspirations from everything and everybody around the world with touches of the 50s and 70s mixes.

His fabric choice was a great mix of the unusual so there was linen, plastic, snake and crocodile leather, chiffon, course cotton, hard painted satin, distressed leather and a lot of zippers which appeared on the seams of the garments. 

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum.

Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather.

Textiles in a linen-weave texture, even when made of cotton, hemp and other non-flax fibers are also loosely referred to as "linen". Such fabrics generally have their own

specific names other than linen; for example, fine cotton yarn in a linen-style weave is called Madapolam.

Chiffon is made using highly twisted yarn, a thin but strong fabric is produced on power looms, which after processing and finishing attains a soft and smooth texture. Chiffons are used for varied end-uses for ladies

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

garments and scarves/stoles.

Hard painted satin Satin is a cloth that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is formed by a sequence of broken twill floats in either the warp or weft system, which respectively identify the goods as either a satin or a sateen.This fabric

was hand painted with various floral motifs for this collection.

Distressed leather is any type of leather that has been treated to age the appearance of theleather while not weakening the overall integrity of the product. There are a number of different methods used to distress leather clothing and upholstery. Often, the goal is to give newly produced products a weathered and broken in quality that is sometime more appealing to consumers.

Metallic Fabrics for trousers and skirts

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Embellishments and techniques

EmbroideriesVarious motifs were embroidered on coats and skirts.

SequinsSequinned saris, skirts and dresses

ZippersZippers were used at the seam places

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Printed fabricsRose prints, retro prints.

Hand painted satin

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Silhouettes Mukherjee presented biker jackets, short skirts in fish skin designs, sequined saris, dresses, pants and overcoats with an earthy colour palette.

Floral prints -- rose and sunflower -- and animal motifs of birds embroidered on dresses in muted red, green, beige and black echoed nature and its elements.

The silhouettes were a blend of the east and west with lean textured cotton suits, multi striped horizontal velvet skirts, trousers teamed

with printed blouses and waistcoat.

A mix of textures meant patent leather straps for a black bodice and muted skirt, or a red silk battle jacket, sunflower bolero with blouse and pencil skirt and a few saris with contrast borders and patched

cholis. There were slim skirts, Jodhpur trousers, tiny micro minis, dresses with black sequined sleeves and finally a line of shimmering black mini, short sequined pinafore along with a longer version and a black glitzy batwing dress.

. A bit of sportswear, a splash of couture with silhouettes which were reminiscent of the 50s and 70s with loads of

colour. Shapes, volume and retro chic.

Sabyasachi presented a line of pleated baby doll tops, brought in some rose prints, metallic fabrics for trousers and skirts and had the most beautiful layered scalloped dresses like the white satin mini, the shaded black shining dress, the

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Textile Appreciation: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

drop waist maxi pinafores, some tiny micro skirts and mini swing textured jackets.

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