October 2019 Edition Apparel October 2019 issue | Page 32

POOJA PREDOMINANTLY
WORKS WITH GEORGETTES,
CHIFFONS, CHANDERI, SILK-
COTTON, SUEDE, SILK, AND
CREPE FABRICS AS
THESE EASILY LEND
THEMSELVES TO DESIGN.
GN.
FEATURE
and animals were selected for non-specific
an
looks. As these fabrics were largely cottons (as
loo
most Indonesian batiks are), the garments were
mo
breathable and had easy, flowing silhouettes.
bre
off
r
Post her marriage in
Sh
oja
o
December 2011, Pooja
@P
moved to New Delhi,
eventually setting up a
studio in Mehrauli. “Being an
avid traveller and creative soul, I draw inspiration
from the various cultures I am exposed to and
merge them with Indian textile techniques to
create one-of-a-kind designs,” she expresses.
‘RESIST AUR DYE’
Pooja’s collection ‘Resist Aur Dye’ was presented
at the Autumn Winter 2019 edit of Lotus Makeup
India Fashion Week. Alluding to the traditional
batik technique (of working motifs with resist-
printing and then dyeing the fabric multiple times),
it was a homage to the many Indonesian artisans
she was inspired by.
For the collection, the fabrics she used were
in traditional colour combinations comprising
dark, deep colours, which were consciously
selected as the line was made for colder months.
Fabrics with traditional geometric and abstract
motifs and patterns as well as motifs of birds
30
I APPAREL I
October 2019
AM
AMALGAMATING
TRADITIONS
Encouraged by the response to her show,
Enc
Pooja took the expression forward by designing
Po
her own Indonesian batik-inspired fabrics for
he
garments. She fused traditional batik prints
ga
with geometrical and structural motifs, and
w
also made use of screen printing, which, she
al
s says, artisans in India are adept at.
“While batik is a time- and labour-intensive
process, screen printing also requires effort,
p
especially when motifs are designed with
es
several colours, as each colour takes up to one
sever
screen,” explains Pooja. She designs motifs and
screen
patterns on fabrics, which are then printed at
pattern
printing units in New Delhi. Hand-embroidery and
sequins make for another facet of surface design
for some fabrics.
As is with every design-centric mind, Pooja
envisages motifs and patterns keeping in mind
the fabric they are to be printed on, as well as
the mood and nature of the future finished piece.
Pooja predominantly works with georgettes,
chiffons, chanderi, silk-cotton, suede, silk, and
crepe fabrics as these easily lend themselves to
design, the output of which are wispy, flowy pieces.
She primarily works on two lines—a luxury prêt
line that comprises holiday-wear designed with
original batik fabrics from Indonesia, and a couture
line that has anarkalis, jumpsuits, shararas, etc.
While Indonesian batiks are typically of deep and
dark colours, Pooja brings her motifs and patterns
alive in a multifarious range of colours, including