Tactile explorations
Given how the idea of materiality has always piqued Jain’s curiosity, ‘Medium’ definitely is an apt name for her studio. Jain elaborates, “I have been intrigued by touch and tactility. Before this, I was working with clay, and I have worked with paper. So, I wanted the studio's name to be open-ended; one that talks about mediums, explorations in mediums, and materiality in general.”
It all makes sense when she divulges her plans to launch a home décor range in December. Disclosing further, she shares that the decor line—it is yet to be priced but will probably be between Rs3,000 and Rs10,000—will go beyond textiles, “It is clay-based, paper-based, etc. I always saw our work evolve in that manner. There is going to be dyed home textiles, art, ceramics. Also, paper; we are still experimenting, but 90 per cent it is going to be a part of it. Once you see the ceramics, you will realise that it is inspired by the processes we work on at the studio.”
Textiles lead the way
Browse through Jain’s social media pages, and you will notice how her visual imagery is nothing like the series of identikit impressions you see in contemporary sartorial labels online. The core, as is identifiable throughout, remains indigenous, handwoven textiles to create garments—priced above Rs10,000. Jain says, “Our deliberate attempt is to try and innovate in the kind of handwoven textiles we use, because there is a lot that is unexplored in that area.
We try to engineer textures and patterns via different kinds of handwoven techniques that ultimately bring about interesting results while dyeing. So, a lot of times, the textiles we design sort of aid the kind of dyeing that we intend to do. It is always an interesting fusion and combination. When you look at it from a distance, you might feel that it is printed, patched, or engineered. However, when you go up-close is when you realise that it looks the way it does because it was designed in that manner.”
There is also a knack for experimentation—as is evident in the hands-free sari, a shibori experiment of “about over a year” that started from a sleeve to a cape and eventually metamorphosed into a sari. Jain talks about the noteworthy silhouette for which she has received immense appreciation, “Hands-free sari was born out of an experiment at the studio; we were trying to work around a circle in a way that we could express it through shibori. The result is a very interesting texture, which is cone-like.
Once we opened it, we stayed with it for over a year; we were thinking how we could make use of the texture it leads to after the dyeing process. It is only later that we realised, maybe we can create a sleeve. Then we did a cape, and when we realised how it was falling, we went ahead and did the sari. Once we created the sari was when we understood how interesting it is… because the moment you put your hands in, both your hands are free. You can work without being bothered about ‘palla kaha gir raha hai’ [where does the free end of the sari fall], etc.”
Re-engineering and tweaking are facets of her design process, “For hands-free sari, the prime idea was that we did not want to let go of the exciting texture that the entire process leads to. So, we figured out a solution in which it could direct you to put your hands in or it could direct you to put your head in. The idea was that the form would ultimately lead you to follow a function in the garment. That's how we put together the entire collection.”
Fusion at the core
Another collection that showcases her need to innovate is ‘Jamban’—a fusion of jamdani, Bengal’s extra weft weaving, with bandhani, Gujarat's indigenous tie-and-dye technique. “The first 'Jamban' sari collection was launched back in 2017,” shares Jain, who also mentions that for the first two years of her brand's inception “I only did saris”. The 33-year-old designer adds, “Jamdani and bandhani are primarily the two techniques I work with. I also work with a lot of handwoven textiles, which are majorly woven in Bengal (by weaving clusters). So, we constantly keep experimenting with different kinds of weaves.”
As is noticeable in her collections, fusion—the traditional Japanese craft of shibori is mixed with Indian textiles, or the jamdani with the bandhani, and so on—remains a constant element while Jain furthers her explorations. Her take is, “We try to fuse different crafts to form a language that is fresh and new. We are making a constant effort at the studio to have a slight contemporary interpretation of traditional textiles that you see or the traditional dyeing techniques, by their choice of pattern, colours, placements, engineering, and other little details that matter and sort of come together to make the garment a whole.”
S for sustainability
Adopting the zero-waste philosophy has been at the centre of Jain’s practice. Her zero-waste collection ‘Bor(r)o(w)’ is where the team works on textile cut-pieces left over after their design processes. “It is like borrowing textiles from our previous collections,” Jain explains, “It also takes its name from Boro, which is a Japanese technique of ‘mending and patching’. We collect fabric cut-pieces from our collections here, and at the end of the year, we try and put it together to create one-of-a-kind textiles.”
There’s also ‘Re-’, another collection for which they work with thread discards that remains after their bandhani process. “Now, we also have artisans working for different clients throughout the year who collect bandhani waste for us, and then give it to us when they have enough. We then end up upcycling those as well.” Jain will be showcasing both ‘Bor(r)o(w)’ and ‘Re-’ at the Vienna Fashion Week on September 14.
Prices have always been a point of contention for people when it comes to sustainable garments. Jain, however, is lucky to not have faced the same criticism, “People value hand-crafted techniques and things made by hand. The moment it makes them feel a certain way, once they wear it, I think the garment does its job. I have never really faced a problem in terms of the pricing because I think, as long as they [consumers] find value for money in it, they are happy to invest in what you design. They are okay to invest if they feel that it is just; and I feel that our prices are very just.”
Jain concludes with how she plans to incorporate more sustainable practices, a vision she has for the future of the brand. Mentioning that moving to natural dyes completely—right now Studio Medium uses both azo-free dyes and natural dyes sourced from an NGO in Kerala that works with artisans with disability—is just one of the many ways she plans to move forward. Ending the conversation, she says,
“My first aim would be to completely shift to a natural dyeing studio. I think another important thing that I would like to do is to open the doors to other studios to send us their scraps. With such discards, we want to be able to produce textiles that are aesthetically beautiful so that we are able to do justice to their textiles.”