BHUBANESWAR: Ace designer Bibhu Mohapatra, now based in the USA, said he would create new designs based on Odisha handlooms and incorporate them in his collections soon. The designer, who was here on Monday, after a series of visits to weavers’ villages in Nuapatna, Bargarh, Sambalpur and Gopalpur, is the fifth designer who has been invited by the State Government to work on a project to revive the Odisha’s handloom sector which is facing a crisis.
As per the project, five of the country’s top fashion designers would work with the Odisha State Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society and Sambalpuri Bastralaya, to improve the design of sarees and other materials and popularise them.
Prior to this, Sabyasachi Mukjerjee and Rajesh Pratap Singh were roped in by the State Government to interact with the weavers.
“The leading fashion designers would work on a project with the Boyanika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya to help improve designs and create a market for Odisha handlooms and textiles,” said Textiles and Handloom Secretary Arti Ahuja.
Besides Bibhu, designers like Abraham and Thakur and Anjali Kalia would work on the State Government-sponsored programme spanning 18 months.
