I Heat Transfer Printing Factory call it the ‘fabric of the future’ as it ticks all the right boxes in terms of the environment. Or banana fiber, which is being explored in India as well. "The frightening truth is that there cannot be much of a future for mankind if we do not tackle environmental concerns. The clothing industry in the country, and globally as well, needs to do its bit in being environmentally conscious. "I only use natural dyes and look towards shades that reflect nature, an integral part of our existence. Spearheading the cause of eco-fashion, she is celebrating the colour indigo in her Autumn/Winter collection at the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week 2018.
The earthy hues in my textiles are symbiotic in their interface with the gradations in shades that I use in a particular weave. Clothes should reflect a harmony between the weave and the motifs.Her new collection has a predominance of shades of Indigo, as well as earthy colours such as buff, chestnut, burnt umber, amber and cerise, and draws inspiration from traditional Indonesian Ikat. I am constantly striving to achieve that balance in my textiles. I had to start from the basics. It’s also important to develop a good business head, to rack up sales," she says. "It is a textile that has the right tensile strength, the appropriate thread count that is responsive to being blended with silk."The future is and indeed can only be eco-friendly and sustainable but for now comes at a cost not all can afford. After all, connoisseurs are willing to spend more on a good wine rather than a middling one. There’s nettle, bichu buti, which is being experimented with in Nepal.Craft revivalist and textile conservationist Madhu Jain is a name to reckon with. Despite the abundance of bamboo in India, even procuring the raw, rough bamboo yarn is not easy. The weaving of the Ikat motif in the warp and weft had to be precise."She feels it is important for budding fashion designers to follow their heart."However, now she feels that she has developed the perfect textile. There are a wealth of other plant-based yarns that are being used by people all over the world."Creations by Madhu Jain at the Amazon India Fashion Week AW 2018Talking about the challenges of developing her new clothing line, she says, "The Bamboo-Silk Ikat textile — the first textile of its kind in the world —that I am showcasing on the ramp has taken me 15 nail-biting years to perfect The designer was recently conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017, the highest civilian honour for women in India, by President Ram Nath Kovind for her work in eco-fashion and sustainable production and creating alternative fibers like the biodegradable Bamboo-Silk Ikat. Extracted from plants, this natural dye has a molten depth that is arresting. Factory produced fabrics are much cheaper, but harmful to the environment. It is biodegradable, eco-friendly in production, UV protective and anti-bacterial. Clients need to weigh one against the other, and decide for themselves what they choose.
The tribe of those who understand handloom and organic textiles — the connoisseurs — can be made to grow," she believes. We should lead by example, which means that our production processes should leave the smallest possible carbon footprint. I had to put in diligent and extensive R&D to soften the yarn, and do an enormous amount of on-the-ground work with master weavers to familiarise them with a yarn that was so different from anything they’d worked on. So, my colour palette is determined by that," she says, adding, "Indigo, one of the oldest stains to be used in printing and dyeing, dates back to over 6,000 years ago.While Madhu Jain loves bamboo, there are many other materials that she feels can be tapped. However, such textiles come with a monetary price tag that is borne by buyers. For example, yarn from pineapple and banana in the Philippines. "The competition in this profession is intense; use that to your advantage by thinking up the next big thing. Ensuring consistency from batch to batch was another challenge, as the quality of yarn fluctuated all the time. No surprises there, considering I’ve been working on refining its yarn for so many years. It’s also time that we started creating awareness around eco-friendly clothes. "Personally, I love bamboo. I am drawn over and over again to the magic of this colour.
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