BAZAAR

TEXTILE ALCHEMY``````(Clockwise from top) An imagefrom the Grassroot Spring2018 campaign; Anita Dongre;embroidery details.``````(Far left) Catwalklooks from Bloni.(From top) Bloniproducts madeusing Econyl.BazaarSTYLEEco-friendly fabrics are cementing their place infashion. Take Econyl, a type of nylon manufacturedfrom recycled fishing nets that brands like StellaMcCartney and Adidas have used to make everythingfrom swimwear to accessories. At Lakmé Fashion WeekSummer/Resort 2018, designer Akshat Bansal workedwith Econyl to create a line of staples like polo neckjumpers, straight-cut trousers, and androgynous tunicsfor his label Bloni. Bansal’s collection was an homage tothe dying seas and so working with the new textilemade perfect sense. “It was a challenge to use Econylbecause it’s unusual to blend this kind of stretch knitfibre with more woven fabrics like cotton or silk,” saysBansal. “Yet as a designer it’s my responsibility to createawareness and keep evolving.”CRAFT TRAILFA SH ION NE WSBakutra is a village 200 kms north of Ahmedabadthat Anita Dongre finds herself revisiting often.An arid landscape, mud houses, women in garmentsshimmering with mirrorwork, sitting in the yard andembroidering—this is where a Grassroot dress iscreated. In 2015, when Dongre launched her label,Grassroot by Anita Dongre, she joined hands withSEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association), which,since its inception in 1972, has brought employmentto thousands of craftspeople countrywide.Gauriben is one of the 800 women of SEWA whohas found a new business partner in Dongre. “EarlierI used to be known as someone’s mother, daughteror wife. Today the village knows me as Gauriben,” shesays with pride. Soft cotton mul, handwoven inBenaras, is sent to Bakutra, where Gauriben and herteam bring alive Dongre’s designs.Birds, bees, and botanicals on a pastel colourscape—it’s a change from their own deeply pigmented palette.But in time they’ve adapted to the urban taste formuted hues. “Since I’ve been embroidering, life haschanged. Children are being educated, we eat threemeals a day, we’re claiming back our pawned awayproperties, and, if I’m working, my husband helps in thekitchen,” says Gauriben. It is all of this, and more, thatgoes into the making of a Grassroot creation.What to shop and where to go this month