BHUBANESWAR: PipIli's colourful applique craft - also called ‘Chandua’ - is mostly seen as a decorative element with its history rooted in traditions related to the Shri Jagannath temple. But Puri-based designer Ayushi Nanda is adding the essence of this ancient craft to fabrics to create easy-to-wear, quirky western clothes through her brand PatchUp.
“When we talk about chandua, we mostly visualise colourful applique umbrellas, lanterns, canopies or hand fans but never as a wearable piece of cloth. PatchUp was born out of the need to plug this gap. It promotes a diversified style of applique which is inspired by the Pipili applique work - dating back to the 10th century AD - as it involves hand-stitching,” said the designer who collaborates with a group of traditional craftspersons to give her clothes a unique aesthetic. And what makes the brand unique is that it aims at low wastage of fabric and promotes upcycling and eco-fashion.
Chandua is an art of creating narratives on cloth, she said, adding her style of applique on the outfits and decor is created by patching one fabric on another in certain shapes and colours that are based on various themes and designs. A majority of her designs are inspired by nature and developed with help of the local craftspersons. From jumpsuits, jackets to dresses, table covers to cushions and shirts and skirts, her collection has it all and every piece is handmade using natural fabrics like cotton or linen.
Growing up amidst craftspersons in Puri with her father Devi Nanda being in applique craft business for three decades, she pursued a degree in fashion designing from National Institute of Fashion Designing (NIFT), Bangalore. “My association with Chandua started at a young age and growing up, I wanted to come up with a brand that believes in sustainable and zero waste fashion. PatchUp was built during the Covid lockdown with these two factors as its foundation,” said Ayushi who apart from giving traditional applique a modern wearable approach, works with a private company in Bangalore as design researcher.
For PatchUp, she is working directly with five artisans who are mostly from rural parts of Puri and trained to hand-stitch the patches with much intricacy. Believing in slow fashion, Ayushi said she spends more time with the artisans and on the design process so that each piece has a different story and experience. Continuing her explorations with the craft, the designer believes contemporising traditional applique into fashion will help it reach bigger markets in the country and abroad.