On a creative path

Designer duo

Designers Jaya Bhatt and Ruchi Tripathi always wanted to leave their mark in the world of fashion. They launched their label, ‘Indegene’,  in 2010. Handspun and handwoven fabrics with traditional prints and earthy colours has been their forte. They showcased their summer collection at ‘Lakme Fashion Week’ recently in which they have focussed primarily on the ‘Boro’ textile from Japan.

In a chat with Surupasree Sarmmah, Jaya talks about the duos inspiration, latest collection and the designers they look up to.

What made you start ‘Indegene’?

We both had a natural inclination towards handmade designs. Moreover,  having studied together and having known each other for a long time was another motivation to work together. We wanted to give our perception a name and a life through different products. With this idea in mind, we launched our label ‘Indegene’.

Your forte lies in...

Unlike many other brands that have handcrafted products, we work with directly with the local artisans. This involves a huge supply chain of materials. These materials are sourced from different parts of the country. ‘Ajrakh’ print is what we primarily concentrate on and we also develop our own block prints.

One of your most creative designs...

We are evolving everyday and there is no end to creativity. Every season we try to include something different in our collection that we have never worked on before. However, at present, we are somewhat inclined towards making use of pieces of leftover fabric and use it as patch work in our clothes. This way we are minimising waste as much as we can.  

What are your inspirations?
We are very lucky that we belong to a country that has rich traditional and ethnic art forms. These help us to come up with designs that are contemporary and can blend in with every outfit and
silhouette.

Someone who inspires you from the design fraternity...

We look up to Abraham & Thakore and Rajesh Pratap Singh. We love their work and they have inspired us in a huge way.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

We hope to become more prominent when it comes to mainstream fashion. We would also like to bring more work to the artisan
community.

Tell us about your latest collection...

This line is inspired from the ‘boro’ textile from Japan and we have used patches and mending techniques. The concept is primarily about preserving one’s clothes for a longer time and moving towards sustainable fashion.  We have worked on contemporary, everyday wear that includes dresses with overlays, pants, jackets and saris with patchworks. The highlighted colours are muted greys, white and blue.