'I-kat'above the rest

Fashion talk

Having earned a formidable reputation for reviving and promoting indigenous textiles and weaves, Madhu Jain is moving on to create yet another landmark for herself. The 56-year-old fashion designer, who has spent years working with weavers in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu besides collaborating with the world’s largest NGO, BRAC in Bangladesh, will be completing 30 years in couture biz with the unveiling of a new fabric — bamboo silk ikat — that she says will be her legacy.

“It’s an important milestone, and I want to mark it with the launch of something unique like this new fabric,” says the Noida-based textile conservationist whose love affair with cottons, especially ikat (that became her calling card) goes back a long way. In fact, the first collection that she launched was based on this traditional fabric. Remembering the evening in 1991 when she showcased it, she says, “When models walked the ramp in designs created out of ikat, a textile that everyone initially pooh-poohed as ‘so basic’, it just blew them away,” she smiles.

On a revival mission

She has an impressive roster that includes efforts to revive fabrics like nakshi kantha, kalamkari, uppadas, and Dhaka muslin (in India), among others, by giving them a fresh spin. Together with her partner, actor and model Milind Soman — who joined hands to create a new label, ‘Project M’, in 2003 — Jain was asked by the Ministry of Textiles to give bamboo a new avatar for the seventh World Bamboo Congress (WBC) to be hosted in Delhi that year.

Despite India being the second-largest bamboo-producing nation in the world, its inclusion in the hi-fashion biz was a long way off. Says Jain, “Although apprehensive initially, both Milind and I decided to give it a shot.” And the catwalk at the WBC wowed the international delegates as models sashayed down in fabrics that had bamboo fibre interwoven with chanderi, khadi and wool. “And that’s how the bamboo story began,” says Jain.

It upsets her to think that despite that successful start made 13 years ago, bamboo textiles still have to become the hi-fashion garment for fashionistas. “But I haven’t lost hope — fashion sensibilities are changing, and people’s focus is sure to veer towards this fabric sooner than later. After all, cloth made out of bamboo is very suitable for our climate. Besides being eco-friendly, it is durable and pocket-friendly too,” she states.

Little wonder then, despite the hiccups, Jain continues to work towards “making this poor man’s linen into a great fashion statement.” But, of course, convincing her weavers to create such a material was another task altogether. “Despite my repeated pleas, my master weaver kept refusing to start work on it. Finally, I had to order over a thousand metres of fabric for him to actually begin weaving what I wanted.”

But Jain has no regrets. “While the real connoisseurs are understanding the true value of the textile, what’s really needed is a good and appreciative market with the common man,” she says. Of course, the blend of bamboo fibre and raw silk became a talking point when Jain used it, together with the kalamkari craft, to create her 115-feet-high installation called ‘Tree of Life’ for the opening ceremony of the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.

While work on experimenting with single and double ikat fabrics continued, Jain, one fine day, decided to try mixing it with bamboo silk on the loom. “And the result was both unique and beautiful,” she informs.

With no formal background in fashion design, but only talent and passion to back her up, Jain was initially apprehensive about making a mark in fashion. But egged on by her friends’ approval of whatever she created, along with her aesthetic sensibilities honed by her mother’s exquisite collection of saris, and her father’s taste for all things fine, she took the plunge.

Those were the times when stalwarts of the fashion industry such as Rohit Khosla and James Ferreira ruled the roost. But Jain managed to carve a niche for herself with cotton silhouettes that stressed on the simplicity of cuts and style. “At a time when bling was in, many thought I wouldn’t go far,” she says. But just a couple of years into the couture world, and she had one of her most memorable moments — when top couturier Tarun Tahiliani walked into her home to see her work. And within no time told her mother: “Take her autograph — she’ll be a star one day.”

Travel for inspiration

Jain is now striving to introduce a new vocabulary in ikat by taking inspiration from similar genres originating in Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Thailand. “My visits to these countries unveiled a very interesting repertoire. I was particularly fascinated by the dexterous techniques used by Uzbek craftsmen for their atlas (worn by the upper crust) and adras (worn by the commoners) weaves that are so similar to our ikat,” she explains.

However, she rues the fact that sufficient efforts are not being made to keep the market for handspun fabrics alive. “Already I see many among the younger generation of weavers moving on towards greener pastures,” says Jain. “The escalating costs of handlooms is a major contributing factor for this. And then, of course, there are more ‘lucrative’ job options like driving taxis, opening small eateries, etc. Why stick to the traditional sources of livelihood when these options are available to us, they argue,” she states.

Efforts have to be made fast, says Jain. “Look at the way countries like Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan take pride in their own heritage. Likewise, we also need our youngsters to be proud of both our indigenous crafts and traditional wear. Our sari and salwar-kameez must not go the kimono way,” she says.