A huge dress to reconnect Puducherry, Reunion Island

It took more than a year for a team of highly skilled designers and artists to make this beautiful 66-layer white dress at Puducherry in a bid to reconnect two historical places of different countries.

The project, initiated by a renowned artist Lionel Lauret, aims to connect Reunion Island and Puducherry.

The dress, neatly packed in a special box, was  sent to the island for the annual Festival Liberte Mestisse (mixed freedom) to be held from December 20.

In the midst of the tropical Indian Ocean lies Reunion Island which is a unique cultural melting pot with influences from neighbouring islands Mauritius and Madagascar and  its Indian, African and French heritage.

“The project and tailoring work started in October 2013. A group of five was involved in making this huge dress,” Puducherry designer, entrepreneur and Living Art Lifestyles owner Bidisha Samantaray told Deccan Herald on Tuesday.

She said Lauret brought the idea when he visited Puducherry for his work with the French Institute. “There were several trial and errors when I started making the dress. So many changes were made to give the finishing touch,” Bidisha said.

Bidisha said the dress, which has already reached the island, will be worn by a singer during the festival. The dress is made of pure muslin and lace fabric with nets to trim it. “We made sure that the dress does not look like a wedding apparel. We also used cotton tape for the  final touch”, the designer said, adding more than 400 metre cloth was used to stitch the dress.