Apparel November 2019 Apparel November 2019 issue | Página 65

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
buy a piece of chikankari work for anywhere from
R300 to R3,00,000; it is all about the quality of
the work.”
Anjul meets the artisans every month, with
whom she establishes a language for the piece
through planned design. “If I leave a gap in the
piece by mistake, the girl will only embroider the
part that has been laid out and not the missing
portion. She will bring in her own interpretation of
stitches but not the missing embroidery design.
When I design, I try to pull out the oldest khaakas
and blocks. Once the design is ready, we print it
out and bring together four to five girls to interpret
it in their own ways, and one or two from them
are chosen. Inputs from the girls are extremely
crucial in this entire process. It is a fairly long
process—so for a range that is to be released
in 2020, we began work on it last year,” Anjul
elaborates.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
“Every day is a learning process with the
kaarigars—everything depends on the mood
of the kaarigar sitting in front of me,” she says.
Anjul also says that no two pieces of chikankari
can ever be the same. “There will be something
different about each of them, and this is decided
by the kaarigar’s frame of mind on any given day.”
ANJUL MEETS THE
ARTISANS EVERY MONTH,
WITH WHOM SHE
ESTABLISHES A LANGUAGE
FOR THE PIECE THROUGH
PLANNED DESIGN.
While she has been a part of reinterpreting
chikankari, Anjul strongly believes that as a
country that is filled with myriad arts and crafts,
our focus should be on making sure that the art
does not suffer due to overexposure of grants and
support. “If the kaarigar is getting money for doing
very little, how will there be a desire to excel?” she
asks, adding, “Constant checks and regulations
are required for appropriate implementation of
multiple schemes. While artisans not receiving
their due is wrong, overexposure in the name of
reviving the art is not the right way either. Hence,
we have to find a balance between both the
situations. We are getting there and I am sure
the Government will eventually find a solution.
The craft does not go anywhere; the quality may
deteriorate but its essence is here to stay.”
APPAREL
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November 2019
I
63