Looking Inward

With a firm belief in design through disruption, a story of how Indian fashion and facades metamorphosed to honour its rich legacy

The year was 1991. India embarked on major reforms to liberalise its economy after three decades of socialism. The nation was ready to look outward as India integrated with the global economy.

Though this landmark fiscal decision opened many doors and avenues for India, I firmly believe, our strength lies in being rooted to who we are as a nation.

Keeping that philosophy in mind, at a time when sustainability wasn’t a common parlance, I set up the fashion house, Mélange, 30 years ago.

When I launched Mélange in 1993, the concept of a fashion house with sustainability at its centre did not exist. However, I always envisioned that Mélange would rise above its primary role of being a fashion and designer store, and ascend to a platform that would bring design, craft and culture to the connoisseur.

With consciousness at its core and an active focus on the environment, Mélange carved a niche for itself. The focus was, and still is, quality and contemporary style with a strong emphasis on authenticity.

It was started primarily to give more importance to textiles. It made more sense for textiles to have a shape, so that they would serve as wearable objects.

Craft, textile, art and pottery have always been my great interests. I hoped to translate them into a contemporary realm in a bid for patrons to find value in using them in day-to-day life. It made complete sense to have clothing in traditional textile. We wanted to draw attention to the skills of India. Therefore, I reached out to 70 to 80 studios.

Thirty years ago, there were barely any professional, practising fashion designers. I discovered 12 to 15 people who were willing to work with natural, hand-dyed fabric; making Mélange the launch pad for now sought-after names in the Indian fashion industry such as Hidden Harmony, Sujit Mukherjee, Ramesh Nair, Narendra Kumar, Wendell Rodricks, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Anuradha Vakil, Sunita Shanker, Rahul Mishra, Sanjay Garg, Anavila Mishra and Priyadarshini Rao. Over the years, they all brought in great design and did not compromise on sustainability. They were ready to join me in a burgeoning movement – no plastic, no synthetic fabric; only naturally-dyed material.

One of the biggest challenges we had to circumvent was all the plastic packaging we would receive from the designers. We also integrated recycled paper and wood that was obtained from the railway dockyard. Sourcing was a huge task. Back then, I had to send someone to Manipur, a state in North East India, to source bamboo hangers.

Within a year, Mélange garnered much attention and support. However, at the heart of it was the quest to support sustainable fashion and rural crafts and skills.

When I visited the rural areas in India, I realised that Khadi and other handwoven fabrics played an important economic role for the women as well. Weaving fabrics provided artisans with the opportunity to earn their own dignity through self-employment.

No surprises then that I decided to stage a Khadi – fabric of freedom, as we defined it – fashion show to mark Mélange’s first anniversary at Mumbai’s landmark, Royal Opera House, which opened its doors after three decades. Designers such as Ramesh Nair and Hemant Trevedi made their interpretations of the conscious fabric. The concept of the show was to promote going back to the roots, and for fashion to be the best medium to do it. The show was extremely well-received.

However, a feeling continued to gnaw at me. The due had to go to the craftspeople. The designers couldn’t do anything without the support of the crafts community. I was troubled by the fact that as a design community, we were not acknowledging them enough. When I shared my concerns with my uncle Kamal Morarka, a pioneering philanthropist involved in safeguarding our traditions, he generously set up a corpus fund for me to start a foundation.

Crafting narratives

The Morarka Cultural Centre was established in 1995 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. The priority was to raise the profile of the rich heritage of Indian artistic culture by facilitating creative partnerships between rural artisans and urban designers to produce contemporary works that keep our crafts relevant today.

For more than two decades, the Centre became a patron to initiatives across the disciplines of art, design, architecture, heritage, craft, technology and the performing arts. It also served as a repository of research and a knowledge centre.

For instance, a student at the National Institute of Design collaborated with the towel weavers of Ausa village in Maharashtra, India, on a project that took their artistry beyond its traditional realm. They created exquisite, contemporary screens and lamps that were exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai.

The 10-day celebration of Ikat weavers opened with the screening of Susman, a film based on the life of Ramulu, a master-weaver from Pochampally in Andhra Pradesh, India. The screening was followed by a panel discussion held with the director, Shyam Benegal and Ramulu himself. Members, who attended the event, were moved by the stories they saw and heard. It made them value Ikat – an intricate, century-old craft in which the warp and weft of the yarn are tied and dyed, before being set on the loom to be woven – products they already owned, and created a deeper appreciation for garments that were on display from all over the country.

We continually endeavoured to spark meaningful discourse

The cultural community often invited designers and stalwarts such as Dr Jyontindra Jain, Martand Singh and Rajeev Sethi to share their thoughts on Indian design and craftsmanship. However, with them, we never brought a Jonnalagadda Gurappa Chetty, the Indian painter and craftsman, or a Ramulu, the legendary weaver. Morarka Foundation made them share a podium together. These initiatives helped immensely in giving a voice to the craftspeople of India.

A seminal coffee-table book ‘Folk Yatra’ was launched by the Foundation, too. Written and produced by journalist Mini Chandran Kurian, the book captured the stories of unusual folk artists through stunning photographs and text. In a country as old as India, ancient patterns of art and craft, faith and healing, find conscious expression century after century. Often these become the hereditary professions of people, who do extraordinary things while leading ordinary lives. The book featured nomadic storytellers of Rajasthan, the genealogist who is the keeper of family history in Gujarat, the shadow puppeteer of Andhra Pradesh, the Garudan Thookam, performing artiste of Kerala, the Gond tribal artist of Madhya Pradesh, the Usta artist of Bikaner who practises gold embossing on camel hide, the Chaturvedi or the pilgrimage priest of Mathura.

Through the programme, ‘Woven tales from the North East (India)’, we brought together art historians, designers, narrators and performers for a conference to bring forth the continuously surviving art of a land largely ignored by the rest of the country.

So while encouraging conversations was one objective, the workshops became a crucial facet in acquainting patrons with the creative arts of India.
Renowned studio pottery artists such as Jyotsna Bhatt, Sandy Brown and Naoko Adachi, even conducted workshops for the Centre. Another workshop brought together master artist Hukubhai Shah and the Mulela potters. Their combined skills and creativity produced unusual mukhotas, or face masks. Workshops such as these also helped sustain the livelihoods of the potters and their families.

The four-day workshop Sujuni Kantha was facilitated by women of Bhusura in Bihar to stitch discarded cloth from dhotis and saris into quilts. These embroidered quilts have been presented as gifts on festive occasions since the 18th century. Traditionally, the women depicted religious scenes from Hindu epics. Today, they present visual images of social evils plaguing our society such as infanticide and dowry deaths. Kantha not only provides these women with a livelihood, but also gives them an outlet through which they may express themselves provided an apt forum for the exploration of this traditional craft.

An exhibition of exquisite quilts was on display alongside the workshop. At the event, rural women from Bihar had the opportunity to meet urban designers and visual artists in a mutually supportive environment. Participants also profited from a slide show and lecture by Skye Morrison, textile professor at Sheridan College, Toronto, Canada, and a visiting professor at the National Institute for Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, India.

Besides, we supported many design students who agreed to work directly with artisans and craftspeople in rural areas.

It fills me with so much joy and pride to watch that all these interventions impacted in generating meaningful employment for the crafts communities around India. These events organised by the Morarka Foundation that I spearheaded added value to many communities and students.

Building upon a legacy

As someone who was always encouraged to pursue her creative musings, investing my energies in a place where I would be surrounded by design seemed like the perfect opportunity to bridge my values and qualifications with the modern concepts of fashion and design. I allowed my creativity to be nurtured along with that of other undiscovered young talents.

However, my passion didn’t end at fashion; I also brought attention to the heritage of the country. Whether it was repurposing the 100-year-old cellar into a conscious-fashion boutique, or restoring the Kathiwada Raaj Mahal in Madhya Pradesh, the Nawalgarh Haveli in Rajasthan or my own home in Mumbai – Kathiwada City House –a part of which is an art, culture and wellness centre, I am not interested in approaching art, design and heritage at a superficial level.

Restoring the Kathiwada Raaj Mahal has been one of the most challenging, yet fulfilling experiences. Having fallen into decay from being uninhabited for years, I took on long and arduous task of restoring our home in 2007. I invited Professor Rabindra Vasavada, conservation expert of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to preserve the noble structure of the building. Foremost preservation architects were consulted to ensure absolute solidarity of techniques, material and manpower. Skilled artisans from West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan were brought in to fortify the Mahal.

New electrical plans were carved out meticulously to ensure no structural changes needed to be made and bathrooms were revamped with ultra-modern plumbing fittings and plush marble. I specially commissioned hand-woven fabrics for the upholstery and painstakingly framed the family photos with different textiles denoting the character of each royal family member.

The project was finally complete in 2014

The present day members of the Kathiwada family considers themselves to be privileged custodians of such rich culture and heritage. We decided to open our home to like-minded individuals to enjoy a royal experience woven with tales of an era gone by.

As the Raaj Mahal found a new lease of life, the ecosystem around it too transformed. Whether it is hand-block printing or pottery, we have invited local craftspeople to interact and co-create fine objects with the guests. Depending on the season, one can can plant a sapling or participate in harvesting activities, giving an added boost to the farming of the area. The guided walk through the tribal settlements of Muljhipura and Juna Kathiwada dotted with mud houses are decorated with Pithora paintings, which are more a ritual than an art form. The work offers an insight into the culture of the space. The name Pithora refers to the Hindu deity of marriage and functions, commonly popular in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The intention remains to encourage people to open their eyes to a heritage as rich and multi-faceted as India’s. Come January, I am getting closely involved with a company that creates some of the most exquisite Banaras saris – created with gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk and opulent embroidery – with Banarasi weavers. The strive to preserve and promote our heritage continues.

Courtesy The Sublime India Issue by Vissionaire

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