Winter fashion is getting haute and hotter with natural fibres this season. Thanks to celebrities, designers and social media influencers, spotting the trend and sporting the chic look have never been so easy. Fashionistas are spoilt for choice as established labels are going back to the roots with eye-catching traditional silhouettes, patterns, textiles or techniques. Conscious or sustainable fashion is coming full circle to influence the ever-evolving design philosophy.
The concept of fashion changing with the season came to India from the West. Till not very long ago, for many ‘winter fashion’ was considered as a waste of money and time as the season hardly lasts for a couple of months. But times change, so does fashion—and at breakneck speed. What earlier held the attention of the beau monde for a span of many months, is now out of favour in weeks. They are constantly looking out for something new, more mod and designers are stepping up to meet the fashion choices.
These trends are subconsciously making wearers accept the indigenous varieties of silk, cotton and wool along with their blends and other natural fibres. They are also egging on the fashion-savvy to adapt to trans-seasonal, day-to-night dressing and gender-neutral concepts.
bringing it all together
Layering is an art which many of us do not get right. This year, Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav of Amrich have taken it up in a big way with overlays, capes and bomber jackets. Describing their collection, the partners say, “Our winter line has a lot of hand-woven wool, silk and blend of silk cotton. Along with these yarns we have tried woollen developments, double cloth, basket weave, besides space dyeing, hand pleating and hand-stitched resist dyeing.
The double cloth with two layers is fuller and insulating, while the quilting of silk on wool, too, adds warmth to the layers.” This line, exclusively for women, offers a range of chic separates inspired by the nomads of the world. Its natural fibre textiles are prepped with design and handwoven patterning like ikat, shibori and appliqué to display a dramatic demeanour.
For Lovebirds—a minimalistic label by Amrita Khanna and Gursi Singh—the emphasis is on East Asian everyday wear, along with neutral colour blocking and polka dots and stripes. From pyjamas, to culottes, or even gauchos, they’ve convincingly gone back to traditional silhouettes combining practicality with panache in hand woven silks, linens, merino wool and cotton poplins. Talking about their line, they say: “Linen is generally known to be a summer fabric, so we wanted to explore its versatility for the winter months.
When combined with wool, it makes for a great transitional fabric, and is perfectly suited for layering during Indian winter. We like to include pieces that serve as functional layered styling in winter. And so, we have combined wool with different fabrics to make it more suitable. Silk too is added for a hint of sheen and to soften the wool with its texture.”
For a DIY crash course in layering, begin with a cotton or silk shirt or dress. Then put on thin warm layers that could be tied up with broad belts or brooches for a return of the waist. This dressing works well for someone who intends on being stylishly on the move or is looking to cover the increasing girth in these fuzzy months with panache.
the art is in the detail
Rina Singh of Eka is all about the raw beauty of natural fibres. From weaving a flirtatious story, her brand’s ethos is shaped through textiles that translate into effortless style. “This year, we have hand-spun and hand-woven cotton (khadi) and linen, adding dexterity to our textile techniques. These fabrics were developed keeping in mind stripes, checks, borders and hand block prints,” she says.
Using the rural Bengal weaving technique called ‘Kata Makur Kaj’ or the ‘Cut Shuttle’ from Shantipur of Nadia district and then merging the woollen, khadi and linen dresses with an endearing effect by ‘Sozani’ embroiderers of Kashmir, and hand block-printed with chintz patterns, she ended up conveying a coy vintage English country look.
Similar yet unlike their contemporaries, Ruchi Tripathi and Jaya Bhatt of Indigene parlay with pleats, plaid and layering for an edgier and sharper look. Defining their style, they say, “We have further developed our khadi cottons in light and medium-weight along with our signature mulberry khadi silk.
The light-weight Bengal khadis have bold checks with solid borders that segue into unfinished hemlines of the garment. Our fabrics dyed in natural madder, indigo or syahi are also hand block-printed with traditional floral Sanganeri bootis. Bihari ‘Sujani’ embroidery with fine tanka forms the base for our medium-weight khadi jackets and overlays are further juxtaposed with tie and dye for a beautiful three-dimensional touch. At the same time, the mulberry khadi silks have geometric forms in monochrome colour schemes.”
For their new launch, which focuses on a range of merino and yak wool garments, the duo has collaborated with Kullu weavers from Himachal Pradesh, using their medium-weight chashme bulbul patterns as placement border on naturally coloured wool with its selvedge.
Go original with patterns
Making the most of many traditional designs is Injiri’s Fall Winter collection that portrays a mellowed sinister and rebellious imagery. It is inspired by stark black
attires of the pastoral Rabari community of Kutch. In wool and cashmere, it is woven on the pit looms in the region. The silhouettes are similar to tribal or rural workwear visualised with a simple shirt or tunic worn over a skirt and pants with a monotone overlay highlighted with a very brightly coloured stole. Chinar Farooqui, behind this niche label, chose the same colour palette as the weavers’ but projected it in a new light with hints of colourful thin stripes. Her ensembles are ideal for partly cloudy yet
sunny days of the
coming months.
AnanTaya and Iro Iro, too, of the label, The Pink City, have worked on upping the ante with original textile patterns. In a unique ‘Zero Waste’ collaboration, designer Ayush Kasliwal explores ‘whole cloth’ construction using handloom in its entirety. Called ‘The Wild Ass Collection’ as the fabric is woven in Kutch, Gujarat, where the animal comes from, it is custom-woven, and the fabric has a wide width for folds like origami forming unusual graphic silhouettes.
Ayush explains, “This is a combination of woollen warp and silk weft, done by the traditional weavers with placement design. Our clothing’s organic structure fills in the grey area between formal and informal dressing.” He advises to wear the fluid cape, tunic, or overlay with a cotton shirt underneath, paired with jeans or pants, in nippy temperatures.
The dapper prince
During these chilly windy days, nothing spells warmth more like colours such as whisky brown, cherry red, digital blue, fuchsia pink, lavender, orange, sapphire yellow, and olive green. Picking warmer tones from this colour palette—be it terra, coal, navy and green—Amit Babbar’s ITOH, a menswear brand, chooses to work with only natural yarns. Whether pure or blended, he feels it mandatory to use natural fibres, as they are considered more sensitive and long-lasting; offering just the right amount of luxury. Inspired by natty old French workwear, the label’s heavy cotton poplin can easily be worn as light autumn layering. While the heavier thread count handwoven cotton silk gives the desired results for winter.
Meanwhile, for a classic look, watch out for the fashion at the polo matches which happen every year in this weather. Raghavendra Rathore’s Jodhpur breeches and bundis can be seen on seasoned attendees. His bandhgala suits are comfortable for night and day. And remember the black achkan worn by our Dapper Prince, Saif Ali Khan Pataudi, with a white churidar? If you too are keen on that classy regal attire, be sure to opt for this veteran royal label.
Play with the seasons
In the Autumn/Winter 2018/19 Fashion Week circuit, silk was given a new life with 70s motifs. Mulberry and other natural silks will always be a woman’s go-to during winters. The filament, a continuous thread, has great tensile quality, which acts as a prism in the weave by refracting light and giving it a ‘natural shimmer’, which adds the perfect royal look in this grey season. Making the most of that trend is hand block-printing label called RASA by Madhulika and Manish Tibrewala, in Jaipur. They say, “We are using a lot of handwoven matka silk, along with other flowing ones; and have drawn inspiration from vintage textiles and techniques.
It is reminiscent of the Raj, with built-up collars, pinched waists and slim sleeves. A mix of varied techniques like subtle bead work and smocking has been used for textures on collars and cuffs for a finished look with a foulard or stole.”Playing along with handwoven silks, merino wool, cotton, satin with zari and steel yarn is avant garde textile designer Gaurav Jai Gupta of AKAARO. His latest womenswear lookbook mentions brocade, engineered silk, jacquard, mercerised cotton, cotton ikat, in combinations of silk with merino wool, metal, zari, and satin; all exquisitely woven in phulia and tangail weave.
It offers a wide range of contemporary anti-fits from short to oversized jackets, kimono, tunics, pleated or box pleat dresses, robe, cape, cropped-tops, and wide-legged, pintuck or low-crotch pants as the season’s must-haves.
One of the key elements of this trans-seasonal fashion is long-lasting natural fibre, which absorbs perspiration and releases it in the air, creating natural ventilation. The garments are ‘breathable’ making one less prone to skin rashes. These fibres are carbon neutral too, for they absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide as they produce. And through production processes, they generate organic waste which can be used elsewhere making them 100 percent biodegradable.
khadi makes life easier
Organic cotton, grown with the help of composted manures, with its natural colours of cream, light brown and pale green has suddenly got a wider palette with plant, vegetable or fruit-based dyes. Padma, a Mumbai-based label, uses various yarn weights for high twist hand-spun cottons. Different beating and arrangement of reeds bring out delicious textures and rich colours. Designer Padmaja Krishnan of the label, says, “My favourite is the Zaha tunic, which is a simple, classic yet timeless shape made of a mélange of colours, delightfully enhancing khadi’s texture.”
Padmaja is not alone in focusing on cotton. Making the most of their region’s cotton yarn are Teresa Laisom and Utsav Pradhan of Munkeesee Munkeedoo. Their clothes are cut and constructed keeping in mind hand-woven Manipuri motifs and weaves on various weights of cotton. The weave usually called wangkhei phee, which is similar to jamdani, is created by using extra weft.
The motif built is angom mayek, which is traditionally used by the Manipuri royalty. “The yarn is sourced from Assam about a month before it is woven, for double-dyeing, as it prevents the cloth from bleeding. Later, it is woven into textiles by Manipuri women from 10 different villages of Thoubal and Uchekon districts. And to soften or smoothen the fabrics, they are hard-pressed under a six-foot-wide roller iron,” they say.
wool wonders
Jigmat Couture in Ladakh takes time to invest in good animal wool or hair. Run by couple, Jigmat Norbu and Jigmat Wangmo, the label sources the region’s best fibres and hair from its rich livestock of sheep, yak, goat, and camel for an exquisite quality of wool and pashmina. They say, “We have done R&D with yak wool, which is thickly hand-spun and woven on back strap loom, called skyat thak. It weighs heavy and keeps one very warm even 4,000-5,300 metre above sea level under -20 to -30 degrees Celsius.
The fabric is made with an indigenous weaving technique—challi weaving.” Doling out original and inventive textile products in cashmere is another label—Tushar Kumar. Its finest fibre is sourced from China, Mongolia, Tibet, and Ladakh to produce shawls and scarves that are felted by hand. Since his scarves and stoles are exceptionally light and soft, they are lauded by textile enthusiasts the world over. To maintain authenticity, the label has deliberately stuck to the limited natural cashmere colours—ivory white, mink and sable.
Peoli, a label based out of Almora district in Uttarakhand, is another brand that focuses on authenticity. It hand-embroiders, naturally-dyes, hand-spins and hand-weaves local wool and nettle fibre. Its hand-knitted long cardigans, coats, shawls and overcoats are what our grandmothers once made with love. Vasanthi Veluri and Abhinav Dhondhiyal—the designers behind Peoli—are giving this craft a contemporary styling to turn around its dowdy image into a trendier one for the slow fashion-seekers.
Others such as Kanish Bhargava and Kavita Jain Vasudev are also making the most of the pashmina craze, but on a surprising five-to-eight-yard drape, fit for a sari. Since a large population in the subcontinent still wears this layered garment across all seasons, designers are focusing on making a bold statement with these drapes that can be worn with sneakers to strike a sexy pose, a la our Bollywood fashion queens Kangana Ranaut and Sonam K Ahuja.
step beyond gender
It’s the age of gender-neutrality. If anyone had any doubts about it, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh with his recent ghagra and sherwani look at his wedding reception in Mumbai, just proved the point. What started as a quirky trend has now slowly evolved into a full-fledged style game. The fashion fraternity is suddenly not averse to crafting designs that can be effortlessly worn by both the sexes.
Carrying forward the same train of thought is The Woolmark Menswear award winner Suket Dhir’s ‘He for She’ collection—an unapologetic menswear for women. He has translated achkans and sherwanis, by giving an Indian take on the trench coat or overcoat. The pantsuits, bomber jackets, playful pyjama suits in brocades, bright prints and satin silks balance the yin and yang unequivocally.
Following the changing times, Wajahat Rather of the label Raffughar from Kashmir also marked his territory with his state’s traditional agender silhouettes. He elaborates, “My understanding of androgynous garments comes from our pheran and izzar. One does not view them with any gender bias.” Ringing in handwoven muslin, tussar cotton and linens, the upcoming label also extends an offer to customise their designs in pashmina or other woollen blends with silk.
It is evident that natural fibres are the frontrunners in winter trends. The millennial is wowed by age-old techniques and authentic fabrics, creating nostalgia in the era of technology when people are craving for familiarity, but with a difference. Taglines such as ‘made with love’, ‘handcrafted’, ‘natural irregularities’ etc are defining the fashion moments of the times. Earlier admired only by the connoisseurs, hand-crafted fashion has now become a force to reckon with.
“Trans-seasonal blends are ideal for India where we have not seen a proper winter since six odd years. Also with lifestyle changes, many with low-immunity tend to fall sick if they are not properly clad with a mix of cottons, silks and light wool as per the temperatures inside or outside.” Gaurav Jai Gupta
Texture: Handwoven silks, merino wool, cotton, satin with zari and steel, brocade, engineered silk, jacquard, mercerised cotton, cotton ikat. USP: Use of phulia and tangail weave. Wide range of contemporary anti-fits from short to oversized jackets, kimono, tunics, pleated or box-pleat dresses, robe, cape, cropped-tops, and wide-legged pants.
“A lady should definitely try our reversible bomber jacket. Apt for a day-to-night dressing, its reverse completely transforms one by the night. Adding chutzpah to the entire look would be ruched sleeves, folded pants until the ankles and boots.” Suket Dhir
USP: An unapologetic menswear for women. For it, he has translated achkans and sherwanis, by giving an Indian take on the trench coat or overcoat. Then there are pantsuits, bomber jackets, playful pajama suits that balance the yin and yang unequivocally.
Texture: Brocades, satin silks with bright prints