January 2020 Edition Apparel January 2020 issue | Página 48

FEATURE
BROCADES FROM BENARES
HAVE BEEN A FAVOURITE WITH
DESIGNERS FOR WEDDINGS AND
OTHER GRAND FESTIVITIES.
a range using Indian traditional weaves. The
website reads, “With smart fusion of Indian
textiles (sic) our apparel, we rejoice the variety
and miscellany Indian craftsmen have to offer.”
Another brand in the same genre is Translate,
who is committed to “giving a new lease of life
to ikat by empowering and providing consistent
employment to the sixth-generation artisanal
communities.” They are “dedicated in setting up
the path of revival and resurgence of the glorious
ikat textile.” The range offered by these brands is
an eye-opener to the sea of designs that could
be made using ikat. A far cry from the kind of
ikat that one sees in saris, these designs take
their cues men’s shirts. The intricate patterning of
46
I APPAREL I
January 2020
ikat, together with vibrant colour combinations,
makes it irresistible. A dark blue and basic white
ikat shirt—and similar combinations—looks
particularly ethereal. A pastel blue base combined
with a paler blue patterning makes the ikat so
subtle that one has to look carefully to see the
weave. A deep-shaded green with black is ideal
for a casual workout or even a night out.
The play is twofold—one with patterns being
worked out in verticals, horizontals or with no
direction, and the other with colours. Ikat is
actually a graphical weave that is worked with the
tying and dyeing of the warp and weft fabrics; it is
now finding many forms and definitions. Genuine
ikats, though priced at a higher end, enable one
to experiment and feel emboldened in parts.
Brocade, too, is finding newer dimensions
everywhere. Brocades from Benares have been a
favourite with designers for weddings and other
grand festivities. On the other hand, Bim Bissell
of Fabindia is working to revive the himroo fabric.
Project Himroo by LoomKatha, too, is working
to bring back the past glory of this fine weave.
According to the brand, “Himroo is intrinsically
linked to the glorious history of Aurangabad. It’s
one of the many jewels in Aurangabad’s history.
However, in the late 1930s, himroo weavers
suffered greatly due to the advent of cheap mill-
made fabrics from Britain. So, some time before
independence, a group of enterprising himroo
weavers got together and created a fabric that
was machine-made but incorporated the basic
motifs of himroo. As a result, much of the original
beauty and grace of the product was lost. While