#LMIFW

Amrich ideates around their signature Shibori, to create comfortable clothing inspired by African textile, circular shapes and the rock and roll era

When two NID graduates, Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav came together to launch ‘Amrich’, they set a motto for their brand. It was, ‘elegance of simplicity, beauty of handmade and indulgence of comfort.’ The brands ability to remain true to this motto has earned them a status of supreme quality and understated luxury. With a minimalistic identity, textile treatments of exceeding quality and an exploration of natural fabrics, the label reflects the richness of Indian handlooms and craftsmanship.

Although the brand launched in 2011, the creative partnership between Amit and Richard had already established a strong foundation at the National Institute of Design in Ahemdabad. Graphic designer from Kolkata, Amit, came to Gujarat after having been seduced by the world of Indian textiles, while working on several promotional design work projects for textile and garment companies. While he pursued an education in Textile Design, Richard, a graduate in Information Technology and Computer Application, begun his post graduation in Apparel Design and Merchandising.

This creative partnership grew through collaborations, squabbles, differences and most importantly – great design. A turning point in what would eventually become their career was their first large-scale showcase. “We had gone with the mindset that it was a student showcase. The collection however, attracted international interest, demand and enquiries. We weren’t geared for production, and so could not deliver. With this came the realization that the industry is not solely about glitz and glamour, but also challenges, troubles and toil,” says Amit.  

It was this realization that pushed the duo towards treading the unexplored territories of the fashion space, through consultancies of all kinds. “We created pieces for the Khadi Gram Udyog that were required to sell under Rs.1000, and on the other end of the spectrum, created couture clothing for Ravissant in Delhi. We were working towards gaining exposure; building our portfolio and learning the ropes of the business. Consulting on different projects also gave us an understanding of what we wanted to do eventually, and how to do it,” says Amit.

The launch of Amrich was marked with Shiro Hairo, their Spring Summer 2011 collection, which was a fresh take on the Indian technique of shibori. “We sent our collection to seven stores around the country, five of whom showed interest within the first week. The quick interest was because the collection was fresh. Not many design houses were ideating around and further, creating their own clamps to do shiboriwith. It was happening sporadically across the country, and even less on a commercial level,” he says.

Today, Amrich gears up to present a rich showcase of never seen before versions of Shibori at LMIFW’19, that create patterns influenced by ancient African avatars and the ‘80s glam rock era.“For autumn-winter, we wanted to go back to our brands classic take on Shibori. The idea was to keep the collection muted, minimal yet sophisticated and statement making. Shibori is used in a variety of ways, from creating a pattern of an African animal motif, to mimicking the appearance of a reverberating circle,” he says. The designers have attempted at graphically representing the rhythmic appearance of what they call, ‘circles that reverberate’ and translated it in Shibori.

The collection, titled ‘Pattern Play’, is an experimentation of atypical fabrics with classic techniques manipulated to create contemporary forms, patterns and movements. “The ‘play’ in the title refers to the graphic symbol on any Walkman or record player, which throughout its many interpretations has stayed close to the forward and rewind buttons.

Similarly, if you see the collection, you will notice influences from past eras, which have been presented in a way that can be taken forward to the future,” he says.

With ‘Pattern Play’, they envision a duo toned future, using the classic black and white combination, along with brighter permutations of scarlet red, aquamarine and olive green. “Beyond the usage of colour on the fabric, what will be exciting to see is the way we have created pairings of strong colours in a way that they ultimately complement each other,” says Amit.

Adding to the affair of mix and match will be separates made from a variety of fabrics, paired together to create multi-layered ensembles that reflect the essence of the ‘80s Rock and roll era.  “We had to consider that the customers in our primary market (India) barely see a harsh winter. This is why we created a variety of separates made from boiled wool, silk wool blend, lightweight wools and heavy wools. Khadi cottons have also been manipulated into a construction that makes them slightly thicker and warmer,” he adds.

Other ingenious creations include shaded thread embroideries to mimic plaid patterns and metallic sequin and beadwork, which the designer claims are ‘minute enough to be mistaken for a print’.

 This flair for researching traditional weaves and developing them to create contemporary forms and shapes is what has guaranteed the duo a stable space in an unpredictable market. The label not only expresses an undying love for handspun textile, but also the communities that pass on priceless crafts for generations. “Amrich sources from states all over the country including Gujarat, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh being a few. The highlight of this upcoming collection however, is the use of khadi and silk woven textiles developed by us with the weavers of Bihar. We’re very proud of this association with the Srijani Foundation, that has enabled this exchange of crafts and services,” he says.

Armed with strong design ideologies, sustainable values and contrasting yet complementary creative ideas, Richard and Amit follow nothing but creative fulfillment. “As much as we may keep tabs on international trends, they seem slightly redundant because we work with Indian textiles. We have to see within Indian textiles to pinpoint what is exciting us in a particular season, and what silhouette, cuts and concepts will work with it, ” says Amit. This constant urge to create is uncorrupted by the greed to be highly profitable. With a very restrained online presence, the brand has managed to retail from retail spaces such as Ensemble and Ogaan.

A marketing aspect like this too, traces back to the brand motto of embracing the beauty of the handmade. “Our clients and distributors have told us that when they see, feel and wear our garments they want to keep coming back for more. The detail, finishing and quality of an elaborately developed fabric is impossible to communicate online. No matter how hard you try,” says Amit. And so, in a country where a vast majority of buyers may prefer unforgiving silhouettes and sparkling trousseaus that change every season, Amrich finds comfort in creating elegant and thinking silhouettes. In no hurry to expand online and chase profits, the duo makes it clear that their purpose remains in weaving together a narrative that tells the tale of the glorious Indian textile.

Using khaadi, block prints and artisanal force, Vineet Bahl creates patterns depicting the paradox of human choice

By Asmita Aggarwal

For a boy who grew up in Kolkata, to a father who was into steel, Vineet Bahl has come a long way. From turning an absolute “no”, when he mentioned studying fashion to going to Nottingham Trent, UK and finishing his degree in design, Bahl believes fashion must be aspirational in thought, but practical in the wardrobe. Raised to handle the family business, he was given an ultimatum, a year to make or break it. That’s when Pearl Academy came to his rescue and he moved to the capital chaos from the artistic, right side of the Howrah!

That’s why his ideology vacillates from denims last year to a new found love for traditional block printing, sensing the need for moving back to our roots with hectic digitisation. “Everything you see is computer generated, from emotions to design, human intervention is really on the brink of going instinct in the future,” he says.

His work-holiday to Kutch exposed him to traditional stencil, hand and screen printing away from machines and their perfect finishes. So he delved into the unknown, six months ago, as a conscious move away from the polyester, plastic, synthetic world to a more organic way of living. Titled “Safari Soiree”, a desert vibe, but more night-time feel, the line abandons the repetitive mirror work and Kutchi embroidery, rather he used an ancient techniques of blended fabrics—wool, linen, cotton and gave it an unfinished feel to sync the aesthetics.

“The world is moving towards easier cuts and no-fuss, slip on kind of things that get you up and ready in minutes. That’s what we have attempted, jackets, blouses, with a focus on hand finishing and layering,” explains Vineet. The beauty of Bahl’s clothing is he brings out the individuality of the fabric, and moves away from the “smooth as buttery fall” to a more engineered classic.

The wool has been washed and maker coarser, the motifs updated and some elements subtracted in a palette that works with ivories, pinks, rusts to bottle greens has given the line a three-dimensional appeal.

On Einstein’s birthday, it is best to quote him: “Life is like riding a cycle, to find balance, you must keep moving”. Prashant Varma encapsulates this agony and ecstasy of what we all ‘indulge’ in everyday—- Life!

By Asmita Aggarwal

His brother Siddhant, supported Prashant Verma’s dream by becoming “the soldier on the catwalk”, at the showcasing of his LMIFW’19 line. A show, where the designer sang for a good 11 minutes, in perfect rhythm, opera style, about the hopes and aspirations of the young and the weight of it, once it has been lived. With dancers from Danceworx, Prashant says, “If I am singing alone vs. when I am singing with so many other performers with me, we are not only are we feeding off of each other’s energies, but there is also a sense of security.”

He got a melange of theatre actors and real people to translate his concept onto the runway breaking the monotony of predictability. “It was organic. Once I knew what I wanted to do, I started a conversation which naturally led to this. I met Niharika, then met Aishwarya who was my first director for a play I did in Delhi in 2013, and I started discussing the idea with them. I told Aishwarya I was looking for serious actors, and she connected me to Ms. Haider, and from there I got connected to Sabina, Radhika, Mr. Sunit Tandon — everyone and everything just came together,” he says.

The NIFT (Delhi) 2005 graduate, last he showed in 2010, and he was producing work till 2013, after which he showcased in 2015. In 2016, he was doing external freelance projects. In 2017, he shifted to Bombay and in 2018 he did a show. He admits he didn’t have to struggle with finding people. “It’s not like I wanted to do the show, it was a show that had to be done,” he smiles, giving credit to serendipity. Verma, moved to full-time acting and confesses there is this phase when you’re trying to find your identity through labels. People in theatre are always inquisitive about what else you’re doing, whereas in fashion, it’s “are you an actor or a designer”.

The style world wants things in certain formats; the cycle of fashion is so fast that it affects the pace of everything that happens in your life. It’s a 6-month wheel, in which you’re exposing yourself to, liking and then getting over things. “So in this space, I had an idea of doing multiple things and that idea is not easily absorbed in the fashion industry. One feeds off the other. If you don’t do this, then there’s a part of you that won’t be exhausted and that itch will pour over into other aspects. I can label myself as a designer, actor or a singer, but that will be inaccurate. It’s not the words, it is the work,” he says.

Few know Verma worked with Alexander McQueen and John Galliano and he admits his core influence is the World Book Encyclopaedia, where under the “Art” section it spoke of the six things needed to make great art —– line, point, perspective and so on. The book showed all these aspects individually, in different paintings of Picasso. “Then I went to McQueen, when Sarah Burton (at that time, Sarah Heard) was the head of the studio. I learned that you can’t do just one thing. You have to do embroidery, pattern making, print, draping. From suits to gowns, you have to do everything. You have to win it all,” he explains.

Artistically inclined, Prashant does think about commerce, “I don’t have the kind of money to have a factory and an office, which is why I called it the ‘Miracle show’, because it’s full of favours. An actor’s daughter is getting married and she agreed to do this to get the pressure off. The jewellery was sourced too. Someone else loaned us their house for the day to get ready for hair and makeup. So when I am doing a show, I am not thinking of commerce. But do I want to make money? Yes. But I look at them as two separate things.”

At the end of the day, there are countless times when he feels like something wasn’t right, or that there were compromises. But over time, you choose the compromises, you are okay with. The rest fade away. “Your body of work has to be just that not for your clients but also for yourself,” he admits.

Showing with Huemn came along, and it was surreal because they are on a different space of using real people, he observes, as “you saw with the children walking the ramp”. “My parents haven’t ever questioned my weird way of finding myself work-wise. I used to even tell people that I was an Economics graduate from Khalsa College, out of the need of staying completely anonymous. I didn’t want anybody’s perception to be coloured by their judgment on the industry I came from, because people seem to have a construct about what it is like,” he says about sharing one room in Versova with five struggling actors.

“When I came back to Delhi, I realised people aren’t like that — contrary to popular belief. However, I do think that when you’re good with yourself, you’ll find the right people anywhere,” he concludes.

Pooja Shroff connects the dots by reviving Batik from Java, Indonesia and preserving its originality and candour

By Asmita Aggarwal

There are many firsts for Pooja Shroff this year, her debut show at LMIFW’19 and her new store opening at MG Road which she calls a small, quiet retreat.

Four years into the business of fashion, Pooja from a reputed construction magnate family has both her hands dipped in gold, with her husband being in the premium education business. But the designing career is her space where she takes no help from either side of the family and runs it as a solo initiative.

After School of Fashion Technology, Pune, she went to study design at Parsons School of Design, New York. Working as an intern with Kenneth Cole and coming back home, she honed her skills under Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

“I am from Kolkata, I started my store there and believe it or not, I dabbled in Western wear at the beginning, which was short-lived. I got married and moved to Delhi. Though once a year, I do a pop-up there to keep the Kolkata story alive,” she explains.

The move to Indian and more so fusionwear was largely driven by commerce, as women here tend to spend more for a traditional outfit. At LMIFW 2019, Pooja has had many firsts, she has moved away from embellishments and taken up art, so Batik has become her semantics, this season. “I travelled to Jakarta last year and was consumed by the tie and dye Batiks I saw there. I wanted to give them a new dimension. Batik is derived from the word ambatik; ambameaning cloth and tik means little dot — ‘a cloth with little dots’. It mostly comes from Java with a heritage that dates back to 1,500 years meant only to be worn by royalty. It is done on cotton and silk and is a skill-based, manual wax-resist dyeing technique which is laborious and time consuming,” she adds.

Ready-to-wear was the medium she chose as buyers today are looking at buying off the rack and being able to wear it. Pooja has indulged in collaborations to give a 3D appeal to her show. From Teal, with whom she is crafting customised shoes to go with her Batik offerings, she has also focussed on accessories. Rishma Lath of Crazy Palette has crafted trunks to round totes as an accompaniment to her dresses and trench coats, mostly separates, using the dot paintings of Jakarta.

“We have taken care of little details like the tassel laces we made by hand, dyeing the sequins or teaching our workmen the craft of making Batik here. We have developed embroideries using the same motifs (in the past there was Garuda, lotus, dragon and Tree of Life) that are emblazoned on the original fabric,” she adds.

The palette is dominated by blacks and keeping autumn in mind, there are rushes of navy blue, gold, olives and chocolate browns with a splash of reds. “I’ve deliberately kept the silhouettes straight-forward to add a balance in the line. To do my bit for the environment we have made Batik fabric bangles from the waste katrans,” she concludes.

Edgy, funky, colourful and multifunctional—Manoviraj Khosla, dresses a man of many seasons

By Asmita Aggarwal

His father who worked in Tata Tea, was a simple man, but Manoviraj Khosla, growing up was greatly influenced by his mother, a woman of fine taste. From Hermes, Balmain to Kenzo, she wore everything and the young boy was fascinated, even though fashion was never in the conversation at home. “When I first went to study at the American College, England, my father didn’t really approve of the idea, he was conservative, but my mom fully backed me up,” he confesses.

Among the frontrunners 30 years ago when Manoviraj began his foray were Suneet Varma and Rohit Khosla, who was a family friend. The two above did womenswear, Manoviraj was always interested in menswear, even though men at that time mostly wore grey, black and brown. “I recall when I started, women at a party would dress up, but templates for the husbands remained boring. Now that has reversed women are simpler and men are becoming dandies,” he smiles.

Manoviraj offered colours, which was missing, along with edgy embroideries and surface embellishments, funky prints —– nothing was subtle. He didn’t believe in doing sherwanis with embroideries rather his interest was a leather jacket with bold threadwork, an ingenious mix of Indian and Western. “A man’s relationship with colour has been tumultuous, from absolute non-acceptance to gradual love, pastels have faded into oblivion, rather it is all about courageous hues now,” he observes.

LMIFW saw Manoviraj’s affection for everything larger-than-life—rivets, adventurous prints and a mix of street wear in the formal language. “We have also attempted footwear in velvet, leather and added sneakers this time for the show. Though my biggest influence which has remained my first love is street wear,” he says.

Track suits, multifunctional jackets, and casualness in clothing is what Manoviraj explains what he did, in 1990, which is a rage now. “Look at Gully Boy and hip hop as well as graffiti and irreverence, that’s what in now. Menswear has been an ignored genre and was restricted to three shades, now they want to be part of the fashion circle. And age is not a defining factor, 60 is the new 50, people are pushing the envelope and experimenting now,” he explains.

Tucked away in Bangalore, he laughs and admits that sometimes North Indians forget there is a “country” called South India and even though they aren’t as vociferous as their brethren. “I would like to expand my label, my brother is an architect, so designing spaces seems like a natural progression,” he concludes.