January 2020 Edition Apparel January 2020 issue | Seite 46

FEATURE
Back to Roots
If you thought that a bright peacock-blue ikat
could only be a sari, think again; can’t it be
stylised into a neat kurta or achkan for men?
Colours or weaves hitherto considered a part of
a woman’s wardrobe now sit comfortably in a
man’s too. The humongous change not only adds
a traditional dash to a man’s wardrobe but also
provides room to designers to play around with
fabrics, weaves, and colours. Thus, the earlier
talk of traditional Indian weaves, in connotation
to saris alone, can be called passé. Menswear
made using traditional Indian weaves was
once restricted to dhotis and kurtas. In kurtas,
44
I APPAREL I
January 2020
Traditional Indian textiles are finding a new expression in
menswear. Chitra Balasubramaniam illustrates how.