WE are reviving the textile craft of Mewar region by working with Dabu and natural dye since 2012,” says fashion designer Alka Sharma, 41, talking about Dabu – a mud resist hand block printing technique from ancient Rajasthan.
Through her label Aaravan, she will debut with her Dabu designs forming the Miniature Moon collection at the Lakme Fashion Week 2019 Winter/Festive 2019 today.
“The collection is a surrealistic portrayal of dreams and fantasies. Dabu technique has been embraced for printing intricate motifs on the finest natural fabrics like mushru, mulberry silk and chanderi.
Delicate and ethnic embroideries like pittan have been used for embellishing the clothes.
Regalia inspired silhouettes have been blended with modern designs to create this timeless, aesthetic and elegant collection,” shares Sharma, who designed the collection on being inspired by her Danish artist friend Anne’s fascinating narratives of her Moon series, which symbolise the rhythm of time, immorality and eternity.
Aavaran, is a zero-waste company using only organic, hand woven and natural materials. “Almost 90 per cent of the dyes we use are natural dyes.
Our process, however, is always very labour intensive,” adds Sharma, whose company employs 200 women while promoting the traditional eco-friendly and show fashion textile craft.
Though her products have a booming market in Delhi, she cannot afford the high rent to open a store. But a store in the capital, she says, is definitely on the cards. Right now she retails through Kilol and Ogaan.
The Udaipur born and bred Sharma, grew up seeing a lot of art and craft as her father had a transferable job. “Even my nani used to weave dari as a hobby. She would place the bed vertically as a loom and use it to weave her daris.”
Sharma found her life revolve around craft, and so turning into a revivalist was a natural progression. “At the Indian Institute Of Crafts & Design, we used to study one to one with the craftsmen.
You must have perseverance, dedication, patience...it’s not a one-day thing, you need to struggle for years,”she cautions.