Strutting stories on the ramp

in vogue

Tucked in a small corner of the Ravipuram Road in Kochi, Kerala, Rouka the studio stands apart from other designer wear studios in the country. Minimalism seems to be the motto of the studio as well as of the clothes hanging on a simple long rack in it. Neat, handwoven clothes in cotton and silk with small quirky motifs of simple embroidery either in running stitch, chain stitch or a patchwork assert subdued grace. The unique motifs, like the outlines of a paper boat, umbrellas, post box, a string of mogra gajra, train engine, etc, bring a smile of memories.

Standing out with quirk

“I retain the Indianness in the silhouette but play with fun and nostalgia. A language of sophistication and wearable quirk is our identity,” explains a very slim-built young designer Sreejith Jeevan, when asked about his designs.

Very subtle-coloured clothes in soft pastels contrast with the general apparel of Kerala, a state known for women dressing in very bright colourful clothes. Smiling gently, Sreejith says, “A lot of my fabrics are handwoven and they have a rustic sensibility that I love. And initially, many censured me for using subdued colours. But my experiment has paid off.” 

In fact, it was this quirkiness of his designs that got him noticed when he first debuted in Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in 2014. His first show in the ‘Gen Next’ category had models walking in beautiful comfy cotton dresses with motifs of umbrellas and boats stitched on them. If one observed the entire line, one could see a subtle storyline. Sreejith always tells a simple story through his designs.

“I think that’s how I work. It helps to not get stuck with the design process. It’s also an element of fun for my customers when they put these stories together into ensembles. Besides the fact that we’re selling clothes, what excites me about fashion is finding meaning in my own work,” explains the designer.

Even in this season of LFW, his story was simple. It was inspired by a lotus pond. “Shibori being the technique we worked with, it was about treating techniques to create effects and the feel of water. The clothes were referenced by a sense of zen. And of course, an element of quirk that created the lotuses,” recalls the designer.

This season, four designers at LFW were asked to work with selected paramparik karigars. Sreejith was asked to design clothes with Kerala-based Aranya Naturals. Aranya works with differently-abled youth of Munnar who produce natural dyes used in dyeing cotton, silk, jute, hemp, bamboo and pashmina yarns, which are used by craftspeople to weave the fabric. Materials for natural dyes are discarded leaves, seeds, flowers and nuts collected from the forests around Munnar.  

Talking about his experience of working with Aranya, Sreejith says, “We were both excited about doing a show together. While I wanted to stay true to Aranya’s resist dyeing skills, they were open to experimenting with it to create the simple and story-like Rouka feel. So, it was an amazing collaboration. We worked on new textiles, on texturising more than patterning, and in bringing together various techniques of resist dyeing together to create the stories.”

Another quirkiness of Sreejith is that he always makes short films about the story that he creates with his lines. His first film, which won him the best fashion film award at LFW in 2014, was about children playing with paper boats in the rain and using umbrellas. His next was of women stringing gajras. This time, it was about the lotus pond. Textures from the garments that created the feel of the lotus pond were beautifully captured. “It was more like a sneak peek at our show than just a fashion film,” he says with a grin.

His clothes appear to be for modern young women. His dresses, tops, tunics, shirts, etc, are more of Western silhouettes, which appear to be only for the young. “Strangely, my customer group ranges from 25-65. And I’m glad it is like that. Also, I don’t think I’ll do a completely Indian range,” he states.

Embracing Indianness

Sreejith likes the fact that suddenly everybody is talking about Indian fabric, designs and the feel. Thinking aloud, he says that it’s because there is a general awareness about the need to embrace culture, skill, tradition and to make it relevant in today’s context. When many designers do it, it becomes a trend and makes the customer want to embrace it. “It’s an amazing trend and one we must appreciate. And it can become a sustainable one if we manage to make it accessible, fashionable and livable.”

Talking about Indian fashion, Sreejith opines that Indian fashion or Indian wear is a vague term. “What is perceived as Indian wear is just Bollywood-inspired. If we look at what people wear in each state, there is no way to categorise it. What is now perceived as #Indiamodern is, to me, more about Indian fabrics and tradition — seen through the eyes of someone who lives today. I feel it is absurd to say that if you only make an anarkali and a sherwani attire, you’re making Indian wear. A lungi or a mekhla are equally part of Indian fashion.”

And this is the reason his design style is his very own, he says. “I get inspired by the things I see every day, things that are around me, or the things I’ve lived with. They inspire me and make me want to narrate stories about them,” he says.