JOIN USBy the end of this year, I will come up with a complete vegan collection!” declares Ahmedabad-based designer Purvi Doshi. She is one of the few artistes who designs organic clothing, using only natural dyes, and believes in sustainable fashion.
She also employs as many ‘grassroot’ craftspeople — like embroiderers, dyers, weavers and other karigars — as possible. At the last count she had more than 60 women appliqué embroiderers besides other Kutchi embroiderers based in Ahmedabad, Radhanpur, Kutch, and Bhuj, all in Gujarat.
Two hundred weavers and dyers help her design dream clothes for film stars like Kajol, Sonam Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Tisca Chopra, Lakshmi Manchu, Nandita Das and Swara Bhaskar, besides college-goers, office-goers and homemakers.
Inspired by tribals
Born and brought up in Ahmedabad, she was exposed to the colourful attires of Rabari women (nomadic tribals based in Gujarat and Rajasthan) and their voluminous ghagras with distinctive 1-rupee-coin-size mirror and sequin embroidery. “I loved their polka-dot-like embroidery that shimmers when sunlight falls on it. These women look so alluring in their earthy, colourful ghagras while walking in the hot desert sands that I had to use the same colours and embroidery for my show titled Chhavi (reflection),” recalls Purvi.
She confesses that she hadn’t dreamt that she would one day support at least a few craftspeople, or do her own bit to popularise sustainable clothes through her eponymous brand Purvi Doshi.
Purvi became famous for traditional embroidered work after her first show at the Lakmé Fashion Week way back in 2010. But using traditional embroidery and weaves hasn’t stopped Purvi from designing contemporary and Western clothes. Her tunics, drapes, short dresses, jackets, trousers and palazzo pants are as popular as her saris, lehengas and anarkalis.
The uniqueness of her clothes is that they are all made from pure cotton — khadi or handlooms — using vegetable dyes, have traditional embroidery and colours of white, off whites, indigo, red and yellow; or hues extracted from natural dyes.
Nature first
Her latest collection, I don’t care, but I do care, loudly says that these are clothes meant for people interested in sustainable fashion, and who can proudly say, ‘I don’t care if the colour of the fabric bleeds or fades. But I’ll wear only nature friendly clothes.’
Concerned about the environment, the designer says, “The rampant use of chemicals by the dyeing industry, and chemical fertilisers by farmers for enhancing cotton production are destroying our environment. Scores of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction because we don’t care. It’s time we believed in conservation of our natural resources.”
Another significant aspect of Purvi’s creations is that, all are embellished by hand embroidery. So, it takes that much longer to make a dress. “Depending on the size and the intricacy of the motif of the embroidery, each dress takes anywhere from 5 to 20 days to make. Though I take a longer time to deliver, through this I can generate work for the craftspeople living in faraway regions of the country. I want to tap other forms of traditional embroidery from different states,” explains the designer.
A self-taught designer, Purvi says her interest in designing clothes began in 1992, when she was still in college. That is one of the reasons that she feels fashion schools are really not helping students learn Indian traditional art and craft. “Fashion schools help in learning the basics. How you take that forward depends on you. No school or education can teach creativity. You must learn it on your own,” she says.
But she’s supportive of fashion weeks. Even though the number and the types of shows are increasing, Purvi believes that participation in any fashion week brings out the best in a designer. “It’s a platform where the designer’s work is noticed by clients, media and markets. There’s a nice atmosphere, and even other designers notice and comment on one’s work. These shows help every participant.
The designer admits that there is awareness among women about fashion. “Every woman, irrespective of the strata of the society she belongs to, wants to look good, but they are not fashion-educated. Many blindly follow trends and wear what looks good on others,” says the designer, who is a regular at Lakmé Fashion Week.