FEATURE
THE LARGE SECTION OF INDIANS
ABROAD BUY DRESSES THAT ARE
IN TANDEM WITH THE WESTERN
AESTHETIC, YET CARRY WITHIN
THEM A CERTAIN SENSE
OF INDIANNESS.
pleasing, and create a cheery look. Ritu Kumar’s
eponymous label consists of Western pieces,
which stand out with traditional touches, such as
tie-up short dresses adorned with vibrant
Indian prints.
However, if one looks at the available options,
a certain amount of generalisation is possible.
Indian block prints from Dabu, Ajrakhpur, and
Sanganer, for one, are used extensively. What
has helped in working with these fabrics is that
the wispy cotton, linen, and modal fibres perfectly
blend in with the range of Indian hand-block-
printed textiles. Ajrakh is a versatile block print,
which has been adapted onto a host of fabrics,
be they natural or manmade. Other prints, too,
lend themselves to Western wear with ease, the
abundance of paisleys, tulips, poppies, birds,
butterflies, all reminiscent of Mughal gardens, can
be used seamlessly. The same goes for kalamkari
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I APPAREL I
June 2019
prints, which are produced with the resist-printing
technique using hand-blocks and natural colours.
kalamkari prints from Machilipatnam, in particular,
were a huge export item during the heyday of
the Raj.
The fabrics are often embellished with
embroidery, gold accents, mirrors, sequins or
chikankari, veering towards zardozi
during winters.
Expats with a love for ethnic, Indian apparel,
buy them in huge amounts. Hence, the large
section of Indians abroad buy dresses that are
in tandem with the Western aesthetic, yet carry
within them a certain sense of Indianness. For
brands, this translates into clever designing,
marketing, and scope for innovation. And most
importantly, it proves how brands are extending
their product range to suit the changing
requirements of their clientele.