Day 2 of Lakme Fashion Week saw an interesting association between the United Nations Development Programme, GoCoop and Raymond who came together to create an opportunity towards sustainable development of the artisans of North East India. Known for their play with fabrics and structures, Antar-Agni by Ujjawal Dubey created a capsule collection for Raymond. The line aimed at strengthening the livelihoods of artisans by providing them with development support and market linkages.
Combining the beauty of handspun textiles sourced from small clusters in Rampur, B A L A N C E was an intersection of formal and fun, of contemporary and Indian. The artisans used traditional hand weaving techniques to create beautiful fabrics from various silk fibres such as eri, muga and matka that formed the mainstay of the collection; taking centre stage was a blend of traditionalism and contemporary with silhouettes featuring zari work on silk textile.
Designer’s thoughts –
Its been a challenge and an amazing experience to work with the textured handspun handwoven silks from the Assam cluster with support of Raymond that has a strong vision and belief in such grassroot projects and GoCoop – an organisation that helps get a platform for the clusters. The collaboration in itself is an interesting mix of various organisations and their belief system.
