BENGALURU: She calls her work “pollution and cruelty free”. Purvi Doshi will soon be participating in Bangalore Fashion Week, August 4 to 7, with her collection ‘Rhythms of Desert’ inspired by the dunes of Gujarat.
“I live in Gujarat which is a desert region. The best arts and crafts of Gujarat come from its Kutch and Bhuj deserts. The history of the place, the tribes there, the colours they use, the music they play, their dance styles, the houses they live in, the embroideries they weave, all this inspires me. That is how I decided on the theme,” says Purvi.
Purvi Doshi has been contributing to the revival of the traditional arts and crafts of India by using mirror work and aari embroidery in her designs. Otherwise, these skills are known to only a handful of people in remote villages of India. She also firmly believes in promoting the natural fabrics which sets our country apart.
“I have given it a contemporary look. I am also working on bringing back the natural colours, in its purest form,” she says, on why her collection is “pollution-free”.
“There was a time when artisans used to created more than 100 colours from leaves, fruits, flowers, barks, herbs and vegetables. I prefer these colours as chemical colours are responsible for 70 per cent of the water pollution in the world,” she explains.
Telling us why she chose pollution and cruelty-free designing, which is also helping her revive the lost traditions, she says, “We humans have consumed, exploited and abused mother earth and all the living beings. My profession as a fashion designer is helping me correct whatever has gone wrong all these days.”
Purvi uses khadi in her work and through this she aims at providing employment to women in deserts. “Khadi is the only hand spun and hand-woven fabric. the more I use khadi, the more employment I generate. This is a totally Indian-make fabric where in the yarn also is grown by our countrymen,” she says.
The fabric also makes good fashion sense. “The another reason I choose khadi is because it is a versatile fabric. Its warm in winters and cool in summers. And being cotton it is a cruelty free fabric,” she explains.
Her journey as a designer began when she decided to create her own garments after no tailor could make a dress the way she wanted.
“I started designing my own dresses. My friends started asking me to stitch their dresses too,” she says, adding that before she realised she had already started her career. Purvi has grown from charging `35 for her designs to having a three-storey boutique of her own and participating in fashion weeks and exhibitions all over the world.
She is in Bengaluru’s fashion event to explore the market here. Purvi advises budding artistes to be responsible designers.