Apparel April 2019 Apparel May 2019 issue | Page 82

BRAND PROFILE
SARIS ARE THE MAIN
PRODUCT OF ETHICUS
AND THEY ARE BROADLY
OF TWO STYLES, NAMELY
BOARDROOM SARIS AND
HERITAGE SARIS.
ECOLOGIC FARMING
The Appachi project promotes sustainable cotton
farming by training farmers to use eco-friendly
fertilisers and seeds. “While the cotton fibre of
Ecologic Cotton and non-Ecologic Cotton is the
same, the former is grown using organic inputs.
There is a rich tradition of sustainable farming in our
country, so we go back to those old cultures and
that is how we farm. Thus, instead of chemicals,
natural manure such as cow dung, cow urine, plants
and herbs is used. We use trap cropping, that is,
growing a plant that attracts agricultural pests—
usually insects—away from the cotton crops.”
FARM TO FASHION
The cotton sourced from farmers is brought to
Pollachi where it is ginned, spun and value-added
at the Ethicus Handloom Studio. Ethicus creates
textures and motifs to create new designs that give
the centuries-old weaving tradition a modern look
and feel. The apparel is sold at exhibitions in India
and abroad, at stores in different cities, and online.
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I APPAREL I
May 2019
PRODUCT RANGE
Saris are the main product of Ethicus and they are
broadly of two styles, namely Boardroom Saris
and Heritage Saris, both in a contemporary style
keeping in mind today’s fashion ethos. The studio
presents at least two collections every year, one
for spring/summer and the other for autumn/
winter, and also takes orders for customised
saris. “The designs are an amalgamation of the
contemporary and the traditional. The weavers
are equally involved in the design process to
help ideate various techniques of weaving, thus
bridging the relationship between the designer
and the weavers. Every design follows a theme
and tells a story.”
In the past, the studio has designed saris of
different themes over the years such as Mumbai
Meri Jaan as a tribute to the iconic city, where
Vijayalakshmi spent five years doing her textile
studies. This collection has saris inspired by the
pigeons at the Gateway of India, the ubiquitous
black and yellow Fiat taxis, the gloriously
illuminated Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus,
Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Bollywood (a
signature sari of 6,400 colours and tones that
captures the colours of the Indian film industry!),
the Mumbai rains and skyline. Other themes have
been MatchMaker, Gond – A Textural Saga, and
Ballad of Blossom.
“The latest collection titled Crossroads draws
its inspiration from the lines, angles and blocks of
the famous madras checks, the timeless fashion
fabric from South India. The colours of this
collection are inspired by the birds in Coimbatore
and Anaimalai where Ethicus is based.” The
collection features colourful saris inspired by the
Malabar trogon, rose-ringed parakeet, Indian
pitta, red spurfowl and other birds.
To ensure that the role and contribution of
all the individuals involved in the creation of the
apparel is acknowledged, all Ethicus products
carry tags with the photograph of the weaver
and artisan who created it along with his/her
photograph and the number of days taken to
make it. Other tags inform about the ‘Ecologic
project’ and recognise the effort of the cotton
farmers. A tag also indicates the design story and
the names of the designers or student interns
who have worked on the project.