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Made in India, showing in Dubai

Dubai - India gives its centuries-old textile traditions and techniques a new lease of life, and showcases them at pop-up exhibitions in the UAE.

When Indian designers want to come to Dubai, they nearly always choose to be a part of a pop-up event. These flash retail events normally take place over a day or two, and are organised and hosted by prominent members of the community here who can pull in the right audience. There are now a few Indian designers (Manish Malhotra and Tarun Tahiliani) who are looking at opening a store here in the UAE, and hope to appeal to a wider clientele.
But since most designers are just aiming at capitalising on the large Indian population here, the outgoing for a retail space makes little commercial sense. There are some large pop-up shows such as Araaish, and then there are more curated shows such as Ayesha Chopra and Nira Mapara's Glam Closet, which recently did a pop-up with Art Karat, showing their collection of jewellery, 'Maratha', inspired by the film Bajirao Mastani.
One of the larger shows is Numaish, now in its 12th edition. Often, these larger shows can be overwhelming, with so much available and so little of an edit done, that it becomes too confusing to shop. But this time, at Numaish, there is a 'store within a store' edit that has been curated, with a focus on sustainable Indian weaves and textiles. Though there are over 75 designers showing, you will notice the works of Anavila, Purvi Doshi, Prama by Pratima Pandey, and Translate Handwoven Ikat - and of all these brands are about weaves. Textile and weave make up the warp and weft of the Indian fashion tradition. India is the second-largest textile manufacturer in the world today, and famous for its fine weaves for centuries.
Yet, Indian fashion in recent years has preferred to concentrate on embellishment and embroidery, forgetting its rich heritage of cloth. Designers like Abraham and Thakore, Sanjay Garg's Raw Mango and Aneeth Arora's Pero are all at the forefront of this change (all designers that we do not really see in Dubai, even though their work represents some of the most important design work coming out of India Fashion Week. Perhaps their quiet sensibility is not what the market here wants?).
The new direction has been welcomed by fashion in India, especially by the media. This has resulted in "textiles" becoming the new buzzword of the industry. The last two finale shows at the Amazon India Fashion Week have been about weave, and now, even Indians in Dubai seem to be open to fashion that is about fabric, and not just ornamentation.
Says Manisha Kumar, founder of Numaish, "Since our inception, we have already sown the seeds for the UAE shopper to appreciate hand-woven textiles; so doing a show focused on weaves was the right thing to do for Numaish." At the Indian fashion weeks, it has mostly been the weaves of Banares that have garnered attention from the designer fraternity, but at Numaish here, there will also be weaves from Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
Manisha says, "The standout pieces are Purvi Doshi's 'I Don't Care' collection, which will be introduced in the UAE for the first time; Anavila's fusion of Jamdani and Metal with Linen; The Proposal collection by Prama by Pratima Pandey, straight from her Lakme Fashion week show held last week in Mumbai, and also the work of regional ikat artisans who are transforming the traditional weaving skills to ethical aesthetic wear."
Wearing these textiles is really wearing India on your sleeve. With the textile industry being the second largest employment generator in the country, it is more than just making a fashion statement. At the recent 'Make in India Week' held in Mumbai, fashion was very much an area of focus. The Fashion Design Council of India is putting on a show celebrating the weaves of Banares (also known as Varanasi, the district is also the constituency of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is spearheading the campaign).
The Indian government has realised that textiles are a true "jewel of India", with Chanel, Dries Van Noten and Alexander McQueen all coming to India to source weaves. And while 'Make in India' does have a bias towards commerce and industrialised textiles, it's India's heritage of handloom weaves that makes it unique, and even the Modi government is waking up to that.
Think khadi, ikat, bandhini, jamdani, maheshwari, and the list of fabrics go on. At a time when most countries focus on homegrown and local talent, and everyone is thinking "sustainable", hand-woven textiles are the right fit. Anavila, one of the designers showing at the Numaish show, whose linen saris have been worn by actresses Sonam Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin and Dia Mizra, says, "Design intervention is very important to make the weaves and techniques sustainable in the long run."
Which is why it is important for fashion to support handwoven textiles. Remember to ask about the fabric before buying a piece of 'Make in India'. How something is made is as important as how it looks - the true essence behind style has no meaning without substance.
sujata@khaleejtimes.com
 

JEWELS WITH A HEART
With more and more brands from this region thinking about fashion with a purpose, one woman who is spearheading this movement is Caterina Occhio.
Jewellery that is all about the heart, is what Occhio's brand, SeeMe is about. It's also the only fairtrade-verified brand in the Middle East. All of its pieces are handmade by women who have been victims of violence.
By wearing the heart, SeeMe clients join the #heartmovement, a worldwide campaign that aims at replacing violence with love. And its necklace, which is inspired by pocket watches, has become its signature piece.
SeeMe has been selected as a pioneer in ethical fashion by the Ethical Fashion Forum in London, which is part of the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative. Occhio was a speaker at the recent edition of Fashion Forward Dubai, the region's most credible fashion event. It was here that she met Deborah Nicodemus, the CEO of Moda Operandi, the website that is known for its expert curation of luxury brands. And now, SeeMe jewellery will be available on Moda Operandi for a limited period, with the pieces available being fine jewellery and special luxe ones. If you are also looking for those at a more affordable price point, go to the brand's website, www.seeme.org. Occhio's hearts are worn by the likes of fashion critic Suzy Menkes, Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton, Angela and Rosita Missoni. She has also worked on special collaborations with designers Karl Lagerfeld and Tommy Hilfiger.