BENGALURU: Everyone loves a great story especially when the narrative has the power to transport you from the real to an imagined bygone era, when the imagined was once real. Powerful narratives rich in culture, history and heritage from the Vedic era to the dynasties of kings and queens, emperors and invaders, the British Raj and the Partition or something as recent as the childhood memories of our parents/grandparents have taught us how to relate to certain values and how stories have shaped our culture and life. When fashion designers and brands use these narratives, they become the storyteller, bringing to life and recreating an experience that relives a moment in history, all through their garments.
A brand’s story and its narrative are as important to consumers as the products themselves. Brands today have infused their heritage and story into the digital space, resonating with today’s consumers, helping them conjure up nostalgic imagery of the past and build an emotional connect with the brand. Creating a cult brand with his simplistic Indian aesthetics, Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango says, “I have always been struck by the visual imagery, uniqueness and the memories of bygone eras living in so many parts of India within India.
These stories are often linked to my own journeys and experiences. In ‘Heer’, I was inspired by the barriers of culture, tradition and language, having witnessed my brother’s marriage. The campaign for ‘Between’ also speaks to a very intimate experience I had during another family member’s wedding.”
As with their designs, spaces, imagery and more, the idea is to cater to something more than what meets the eyes, something that leaves you enveloped in an experience that is rooted in culture, heritage and history. Bridging a connect between the past and the present, Garg believes fashion today only exists within context and is extremely subjective.
The brand has always tried to engage with the visual vocabulary of India through measured interventions within traditional practices. Be it design, material, tools, technique or colour, revisiting archival history has always been an integral part of this process. A woman who has been symbolic to Raw Mango’s design inspiration is India’s former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. She was committed to wearing handloom and consciously chose to wear handwoven saris. This decision by her and other politicians is also a reason handloom has survived. It played a role in Independence and became symbolic when worn thereafter.
Torani, launched in 2018, is a potpourri of nostalgic memories of fables that Karan Torani’s grandmother told him when he was growing up. He attributes his aesthetic to the time he spent with her in her house in Bhopal. Remembering long afternoons around her house, watching her do the regular household chores wearing simple Chanderi sarees got him obsessed with the classic beauty of Indian handlooms. As a natural progression, he always found a connection with Indian looms. His newly launched collection – ‘Dopahar’ – tells a tale of the timeless charm of the Indian handlooms and handicrafts that surrounded him, which translates into his comfortable pieces laden with old age chintz prints that his grandma wore, to the signature gauraiya and gulab prints in Chanderi – a range soaked in nostalgia of memories that were long forgotten.
I have often wondered why one experiences a sense of emotion and empowerment while wearing a textile or garment rooted in heritage. It is like wearing something that has a soul. It is art and history and the stories of those who have come before us. Owning and wearing heritage rich clothing is a way of keeping those people, their stories and artistry alive.
(The writer is a lifestyle consultant and mindful fashion advocate)