As the fashion industry gears up for the forthcoming Lotus Make-up India Fashion Week AW ’19, designer Pooja Shroff is all set with her Autumn-Winter collection. Inspired by a line of handmade Indonesian batiks, Shroff has named her collection Resist Aur Dye, after the process of making batik.
“It comprises of a few couture statement styles but the majority of the collection comprises of prêt pieces which are dominated by black, gold and grey colours. Suede, silk and crepe cotton are the fabrics used,” says Shroff.
“I was inspired to work on Indonesian batik fabric during my travels to Jakarta. However, it is a challenge to work on the Indonesian batik as it is both beautiful as well as complex. So I found a novel way out by combining various textures and effects of technique; engineering motifs onto western and diffusion patterns and silhouettes to highlight batik’s beauty. I scanned high-resolution effects of batik and created graphics by transferring them into clothes with the help of digital printing.”
Knowledge of batik is like a family recipe. The fabric is dyed in organic colours which are made in house. Once the fabric is dyed, it goes to the second stage which involves printing. “The age-old hand block printing technique is used where I hand draw a motif with which a wooden block is carved and then the process starts with blocks getting dipped into colours and then hand printed. The fabric is then put into steam and baked. Once that is done, it is washed and dried,” says Shroff.
Talking about the various motifs used, the designer who debuted with Amazon India Fashion Week in 2017 says, “Transfers are unique, easy to make, more interesting than the Indonesian batik. It allowed me to play with different motifs in a seamless manner. Colourful motifs of Buddha, Radha Krishna, Ajanta and Ellora, and Mughal miniatures came out well defined on the fabric. Indian batik has huge potential; it needs to be explored. Unfortunately, designers do not focus on it as they are not aware of how indigenous batik can be developed.”
A graduate from the esteemed Parsons, The New School of Design, New York, Shroff talks about her journey. “My journey as a fashion designer has been amazing so far. I have got to learn many things, also I have experimented with different fabrics, colours and designs. I’m looking forward to learn more and achieve more as a fashion designer,” says Shroff, known to work on silhouettes for the highly free-spirited independent women of today.
Talking about the trends in the industry, Shroff says, “The fashion industry will witness more use of materials such as polymer threads, which are five times thinner than a human hair. There will also be more use of sustainable fabric and material with environmental consciousness becoming a more common refrain in recent times, especially amongst the youth.”
About the collection
Pooja Shroff’s Autumn Winter 2019 collection Resist Aur Dye is a tribute to Indonesian Batik fabric designing.