Indian Fashion Designers enroute Recycled Couture – Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI

Table of Contents:

• Iro Iro is a Circular Design Collective based in Jaipur
• CHAMAR – A tale of crafts and stitchers from historically ostracized Dalit community
• Two Point Two - Gender Agnostic Anti-Fashion Fashion Studio
• Six5Six a brand that works with R|Elan Engineered Denim Recycled polyester & Recycled Slub jersey
• Tisa Studio-Samaira - Inspired by the essence of Minimalism
• Prakash Jha-Coccoon - Farming Practices that Helps Restore Soil Nutrients

Recycling seems to be the flavour of the season, as designers work with intricate detailing, alternative materials as well as a muted palette to keep the focus on trans-seasonal, genderless, clothing.

Iro Iro is a Circular Design Collective based in Jaipur

Bhaavya Goenka’s biggest influence while growing up was her mother who died of cancer, and entrepreneur father who set up a factory from scratch and trained her to work with Japanese aesthetics. Thus, the name Iro Iro or “many kinds of things” in Japanese, a label that pays homage to her mom, who lives on forever through this effort. Through her collection titled “Pyaar” in her most recent showcase at Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI, she took us down memory lane with grandfather’s coat, mother’s scarves, father’s jumpers, friend’s T-shirt, or grandmother’s saris. The most impressive feature of the collection was the upcycled material. Vibrant indigo culottes, boxy cropped long-sleeved jackets, midis, shift dresses in indigo along with feminine balloon sleeves were accentuated with contrast, fabric, side seam and insets.

Bhaavya said, “Through collaboration and co-creation, our aim is to build transparency and camaraderie in fashion, an industry obnoxiously famous for being opaque. In this spirit, we have collaborated with a Jaipur-based footwear brand, Chal, to develop shoes from our signature handwoven upcycled textiles, with upcycled tyre soles, an innovation by Chal. We have also collaborated with a Berlin-based headwear design studio, Studio Lennie, who has designed hats from our textiles for the collection ‘Pyaar’. Collaborations help us better advocate for an equitable, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible fashion & textile industry.”

Iro Iro began by reusing waste materials from her father’s factory, and soon she was spotted by the House of MG, a luxury hotel in Ahmedabad. They met her to upcycle 2,000 kg of waste from which 5,000 metres of fabrics was produced. Among others was also a Singapore company as well as domestic associations, who collaborated with her to upcycle. The designer is a graduate in craft design, specialising in textiles from the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design and has won a gold medal for academic excellence and received the best project award for her submission ‘Iro Iro: crafting fashion out of waste’.

The versatile part of this journey is how Goenka thinks----the competition is with people, who are mass producing and not labels like her which are generating “gold” from waste. She collaborated with Calico, Japan; Matter prints, Singapore; Doodlage, the Summer House making sure design is heartfelt.

You can also checkout IRO IRO’s Instagram Handle

CHAMAR – A tale of crafts and stitchers from historically ostracized Dalit community

Artist and entrepreneur Sudheer Rajbhar, who founded Chamar Studio, grew up in the slums, but knew he had the talent to rise like a phoenix and create a distinct space for himself within the sometimes-restrictive space of fashion. He unveiled his line “Blacking Boot Polish '' that used recycled rubber, from industrial leftovers, automotive scraps and discarded materials at the FDCIXLFW show 2023.

Rubber was replaced with animal skin, a task that was traditionally given to chamars or outcasts, crafting bags, backpacks, and wallets in a timeless trendless collection that can be used for posterity. “Blacking Boot Polish” came from a line that his teacher in school would often chide him, “I don’t want to see you at the station, shining shoes.” Now at this stage, he wishes to invite him and showcase the line, which is replete with motifs of his humble beginnings.

Sudheer added, “True fashion celebrates the beauty of diversity, and we are elated that this fashion week highlighted minorities who embrace their first skin, and who can choose a second. At its essence, clothing is about self-expression and the freedom to choose one's own identity, another skin. Let us continue to celebrate and uplift those who challenge societal norms, and redefine what it means to be fashionable.”

You can also checkout Chamar Instagram Handle

Two Point Two - Gender Agnostic Anti-Fashion Fashion Studio

Gender agnostic and showcasing the survival and fighting spirit of courageous human beings who despite all odds can win, the designer, Anvita Sharma is inspired by Shu-Ha-Ri philosophy of Japanese martial arts, showcased street styles.

Crafting the journey out of sustainable R|Elan eco-friendly fabrics like Kooltex, Greengold and EcoGold, hand drawn images of Samurai warriors, and hints of Kabuki dance drama theatre enlivened the ensembles. Co-ord sets, knee length robes, exaggerated lapels, Japanese faces on the backs of garments in a baggy avatar that can be worn by both genders pushed for a unisex wardrobe.

“A Warrior’s Journey” collection by Anvita Sharma for her Two Point Two label, said, “We are super happy to have showcased our new collection in association with R|Elan uses their amazing high-performance fabrics, specifically the Kooltex denim, as breathability of the fabric is the most important factor for me personally.

It's a very ecstatic feeling to see that streetwear and young experimental brands like ours are getting importance in mainstream fashion. It is always nice to be able to return and showcase our art at such an important platform like Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI. As a designer, Japanese culture is truly very inspirational whether it’s their art, theatre, or subcultures. This collection is an ode to all those things that I admire in the form of my own personal expression.”

You can also checkout Two Point Two Insta Handle

Six5Six a brand that works with R|Elan Engineered Denim Recycled polyester & Recycled Slub jersey

Six5Six is Anvi and her brother’s foray into the world of fashion with a sporty line that satiates your needs, for a cool evening out wearing some “stripes”. Inspiration remains postcards and photographs creating a spectrum of colours, cultures and occasions by the designers. Vacation clothes must be pragmatic, and trendy, but most importantly comfortable with denims, oversized resort shirts, multi-purpose jackets with the idea of mix and match. R|Elan engineered denim, recycled polyester, recycled slub jersey complete with bio washing screen printing, embroidery, deconstruction, created a mood for lounging!

The Six5Six (name derived from a flight they took) collection was titled “The Uniform '' was a perfect match for a flight, airport lunch with friends or a walk in the evening. She said, “I’m super happy to be back at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI after a long break.

And what better than to be able to work in collaboration with sustainable fabrics! My collection is testament to the fact that sustainable fabrics don’t translate into boring clothes. The line is a tale of all my travels, inspired by postcards, anecdotes, and images I have collected over the years of my travels around the world. It is extremely personal and dear to me.”

You can also checkout Six5Six Insta Handle

Tisa Studio-Samaira - Inspired by the essence of Minimalism

If there is anyone who has seen directly in the eye of adversity and not been afraid to restart her life once again it is Samira. It was an ordinary day at work, in Goa where she was working for a senior designer. Little did she know that in one nanosecond her world would be turned upside down. A bus hit her and she broke her back, it took her almost a year to finally learn how to walk again!

As she picked up the pieces of her life, she teamed up with Timir, her school friend and now husband, to start TISA, the first two syllables of their names, focusing solely on menswear. Titled “Lakeer” shown at the FDCIXLFW show it paid homage to artist Zarina Hashmi, her able bodied geometrics and abstract forms, an ode to Islamic architecture.

Triangular metal buttons made from brass and silver but further accentuated with the TISA logo in the Devanagari font, took centerstage as they reflected Zarina’s lines. Earthy tones, tie and dye techniques, hand embroidery, geometric motifs and textures formed the basis of the collection with just a smattering of vibrancy. Structured met abandon in kurtas, jackets and shirts as embellishments played hide and seek along with geometry, hand embroidered motifs and hand stitched detailing in beige, grey, denim blue, muted dusky pink, olive green, navy blue and the classic black.

“We wanted to accentuate the look with handmade, leather tote bags, cross body bags. It was a great experience overall, everything came out very well- the choreography, the models, the hair and make-up and the entire show. I am really looking forward to doing more shows with Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI,” said Samaira.

You can also checkout Tisa Studio Insta Handle

Prakash Jha-Coccoon - Farming Practices that Helps Restore Soil Nutrients

Cocccon Creativity Can Care is a luxury fashion brand. e GOTS certified and a provisional World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) member. The brand stands for sustainability, as seen in the supply chain management, as they run the process from farm to fashion. The farms are 100% organic and certified by NPOP and regenerative farming is practised.

It’s a set of farming practices that helps restore soil nutrients, lost biodiversity and overall health of the ecosystem. “Over the years we have educated our farmers in such practices. We believe in clean energy. Our farms are irrigated with solar-powered pumps. The mulberry trees in our silk farms reduce carbon from the environment, making us a carbon-neutral brand. Our production practices are 100% organic. Even the dyes are GOTS approved, ensuring no water pollution. We track each tier of our supply chain to ensure that both we have kept our environment and biodiversity safe,” says Prakash who believes this is the future of the world of fashion considering the chemicals and waste it generates clogging the already delicate ecosystem.

They work with peace silk in their designs, most people produce 1kg of silk and kill around 6600 silkworms, their label extracts without killing any silkworms. They are bred in nature and not in captivity. “We believe no human has the right to harm the environment for their greed. We take cocoons only after it’s of no use to the silkworm. True sustainability can't come by caring only for the environment. We care about each farmer and worker associated with Cocccon. We ensure their good health, education, and lifestyle. We have trained several women from a small village named Kuchai in Jharkhand, India, in spinning silk yarn. We take care of the basic education of their families as well. We ensure fair trade between farmers,” he adds.

When the designs go from farm to fashion, it tells the story of sustainability, the importance of being organic, and never taking the resources we have today for granted. “We practice circularity in fashion. We want people to choose fashion that positively impacts the world. Some parts of our designs are made with recycled silk. We collect and recycle fabrics as much as we can, ensuring zero waste from our end,” he concludes.

You can also checkout Cocccon Creativity Can Care Insta Handle

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About The Author

Asmita Aggarwal has been a journalist for the last 30 years having edited publications like– HT City, Cosmopolitan, L’Officiel, Patriot and Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle. She recently won an award from the FDCI for her contribution to fa ... shion journalism and also put together a book titled “Chrysalis” for Anand and Anand, a law firm released by designer Manish Malhotra at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

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