Stylish and hand-made

“The idea struck us when we were doing our final projects. The fabric caught our attention. We decided to design our garments keeping in mind the sanctity of the fabric,” say Shenali and Priyanka in unison.

All their designs are in white and are hand-stitched. “The garments are totally hand-stitched and have been created with almost zero wastage. All the leftover cloth pieces were re-used as detailing in other garments or used to create entire garments,” says Priyanka. “Seeing any cloth in white helps you pay attention to the details of the cuts and also the way it is stitched. That is why we didn’t dye the garments which would have stolen the cloth of its finer details,” adds Shenali.

This being the first show of the designer duo, they have focussed only on fashioning clothes for women. The designs are very contemporary ranging from kurtis to overcoats. The cuts and stitching are done in such a way that each one of them looks unique.

The project has duel intent. The first is to explore new interpretations of the Khadi dhoti fabric into a collection of contemporary garments and the second is to do this in an environmentally sustainable manner. “The production of Khadi fabrics also has minimal impact on the environment as the yarn is hand-spun and the fabric, hand-woven. So we have also included the environment aspect in our designs,” say the duo. “The specialities of these garments are numerous. The construction of each cloth has been an experience,” they add.

The designers are excited about their debut show and also about showing off their creativity. Their garments are on display at Gallery Time and Space on January 9 and 10 from 11 am to 7 pm.