March 16, 2017 Asmita Aggarwal

Fair And Square

Med school dropout-turned-designer Urvashi Joneja brings in fresh prints, as well as sinewy Maheshwaris, this A-W’17

By Asmita Aggarwal

It is like working with two ends of the hemisphere—-Rajesh Pratap Singh and Versace, and here the twain does meet, in some ways for designer Urvashi Joneja. A NIFT, Delhi graduate in fashion design, she was motivated by her father to pursue a career in the creative field, for which she abandoned medical school and went to Parsons, New York. “I am an Army kid so we had no exposure to fashion, while growing up. So really it was my internships that greatly assisted me in finding my own niche. Whether it was Pratap, who’s attention to detail is unmatched in the Indian fashion industry or Donatella Versace, who’s team is all about presentation, merchandising, story-telling and above all marketing,” she confesses.

In 2012, Urvashi launched her label, which propagates a young look, where she explores myriad prints, drapes and deconstruction, mostly derived from traditional silhouettes like the eponymous dhoti or kalidars, so in a way it is both relatable as well as experimental. “Dyeing techniques and developing prints each season, we offer something different with a flattering fit. This time, it is homage to colour blocking with jewel tones and milder neutrals,” she adds. The challenge for her is to make resort wear, for people who travel, comfortable, light and easy to carry without compromising on the dressy appeal. So there are fewer florals and many geometrics, as well as print-on-print combined with feminine drapes curated in georgette,” she says.

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This season there is also volume, as well Maheshwaris with innovative foiling and texturing and a thicker satin for structured garments like suit sets.

Talking about how fashion is slowly moving towards reality and is becoming inclusive, she cites the example of hijab wearing Halima Halima Aden, a 19-year-old Somali-American from Minnesota, who was signed on by IMG Models, who also represent Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber. “I am heartened by how fashion is now expressing what is happening in the world from the immigrant crisis in the US with Donald Trump which Prabal Gurung showed his annoyance towards, with T-shirt slogans (‘I’m an immigrant’ and ‘Revolution has no borders’) to Public School’s red baseball caps that read ‘Make America New York’. But we kind of take ourselves too seriously in India and we need to chill and no take offense and allow free speech,” she confesses. That’s why she believes only really strong voices will survive the fashion industry, the rest will gradually fade away with time.

Urvashi also works with waste management, in keeping with the global statistics, about 10.5 million tons of fast fashion garments go into landfills in the US, in a year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 84 percent of unwanted clothes reach an incinerator if not a landfill. “It is a huge international concern, my label is socially conscious and we do send all our leftover materials to the NGO Goonj. We need to do more and I believe in corporate responsibility more than sustainability, as we run or company on fair trade,” she concludes.

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