Apparel March 2020 Apparel March 2020 issue | Page 60

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Conscious Clothing
Ura Maku is a sustainable clothing brand that is looking to rebuild Indian
handlooms with an eco-friendly fashionable twist. Bindu Gopal Rao speaks to
designer Manjushree Saikia on her design philosophy…
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR
EARLY DAYS. WAS FASHION DESIGNING
ALWAYS YOUR AREA OF INTEREST?
I have grown up in the upper valleys of Assam.
This is where I have learnt about Assamese
textiles and folk cultures. My maternal familia
are Vaishnava devotees and the paternal side
are Bodo tribals. Being close to both sides,
I have realised how even as an Assamese,
cultural practices, food and dressing beliefs vary
from tribe to tribe and are yet connected by a
common thread. Curiosity about cultures and
58
I APPAREL I
March 2020
The brain child behind the contemporary natural
fabrics label Ura Maku, designer Manjushree
Saikia, a textile design graduate from NIFT
Mumbai is all about freedom of expression. Ura
Maku according to her is about giving the wearer
wings to fly high and yet be rooted in their culture.