January 2020 Edition Apparel January 2020 issue | Seite 60

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
death anniversary—a connection that led us to
announce ‘Santati’,” Gaurang mentions.
Further on, he says, “Our fundamental
approach was to choose those paintings that
people have not seen; those that are lesser-
known. So we shortlisted 54 oleographs, of
which we wove 33 saris with paintings of Raja
Ravi Varma on the pallu, all made from khadi, and
using natural dyes.”
who saw these saris was Lavina Baldota of the
Abheraj Baldota Foundation. She liked Gaurang’s
creation and proposed to collaborate with him in
the future on a grander project, wherein two art
forms would form an inspiring synergy.
“In 2017, Lavina introduced me to the Raja
Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation with the aim
of recreating Varma’s works on khadi saris as a
combined reverence to the artist, and Mahatma
Gandhi, who transformed the use of khadi. The
project ‘Khadi, a Canvas’, took over two years to
be shaped, and involved a precise replication
of Raja Ravi Varma’s unseen paintings woven
onto the pallu of the sari, using the Srikakulam
jamdani technique.
“What was even more exciting was to
discover that Mahatma Gandhiji’s birth
anniversary concurred with Raja Ravi Varma’s
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I APPAREL I
January 2020
STEEPED IN HERITAGE
Gaurang loves to call himself a ‘textile man’. He
mentions that this streak separates him from
his contemporaries. “I grew up amidst textiles; it
helped me to discover textures, colours, and so
many intricacies about handlooms, and choosing
the best design approach when I sit down to
weave silk, cotton or khadi. Over the years, I have
also been able to get a deeper insight into the art
of jamdani-weaving. I have also helped weavers
to gain new ways of approaching weaving and
introduced fusion fabrics to not only make them
appealing to fashion enthusiasts but also enhance
every individual’s personality,” he says, while
describing his artistic roots.
While talking about his future plans as far as
art is concerned, he added, “I am also keen on
expanding my series ‘Interlace’, in which we
explore the enduring legacy of the ancient Indian
jamdani technique, focusing on the period from
the 1900s to the present day; we are looking at
taking it to many cities. This series is a matchless
interplay of age-old traditions and constant
revival; and jamdani itself survives as a living relic
of a glorious legacy. It celebrates the beauty of
the artistry passed on to us despite all odds.
This, we hope, will lead us to create the first-ever
‘Indian Jamdani Museum’, which will celebrate
the ancient weaving technique and its evolution.”