Page 136 - Vogue - India (January 2020)

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GAURAV JAI GUPTA,
AKAARO
USP: The textile developer
creates engineered clothing
using unconventional materials
on traditional handlooms RAHUL MISHRA
USP: Detailed simplicity that is
In 2002, while still a student at an ode to craftsmanship
the National Institute of Fashion
Technology (Delhi), Gupta first In 2014, Rahul Mishra won the prestigious
used copper and steel to weave International Woolmark Prize, indelibly
fabrics. Today, his label Akaaro is changing the way world fashion perceived
known for using non-traditional Indian design and craftsmanship. Simple
materials as well as creating silhouettes in handloom fabrics relied on
contemporary handwoven storytelling through intricate embroideries,
textiles and engineered fabrics appliqué and handiwork, giving slow fashion
using monofilament silks, a whole new meaning. Today, Mishra’s
cotton, wool, zari and stainless decade-old sustainable luxury label works
steel. Although he’s a purist, with exhaustive handmade techniques to
his technological experiments empower the craft sector in places like West
include the trademark metallic Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh
saris that have garnered and Varanasi and seeks to showcase their
collectors and copycats in talents at platforms like Paris Fashion Week.
equal measure. A champion A big proponent of reverse migration,
of slow fashion, Gupta says his the designer prides himself on aiding his
handloom processes, zero-waste craftspeople to return to their villages and
policy and upcycling practices work from the comfort of their homes. “We
are ingrained thanks to his are a socially audited company with people
middle-class upbringing and keeping an eye on the empowerment of
the need to strike a balance in a our craftspeople. Sustainability has to be
consumerist profession. about a purpose that defines the process,
participation and employment of artisans,
to finally create the product. The product
cannot be the sole focus,” he says. n

“I don’t think one can make very good things very
fast. It has to be thoughtful, mindful and focused.”

AMIT AGGARWAL,
AM.IT
USP: Plastic polymers and other
non-traditional materials that expand the
dialogue on fashion and sustainability

In a sea of organic fashion facsimiles, Amit
Aggarwal’s couture and diffusion titles stand
out for experimentation and innovation. His
eponymous couture line continues to work
with recycled polymer sheets—cutting, folding,
moulding and freezing them into architectural
shapes, adding discarded patola and Benarasi
textiles to the methodical madness. His pret
label AM.IT, launched in 2015, pairs handwoven
ikats, Chanderi fabric, gamchas and block
prints with straws, polythene bags and music
discs for a mind-bending medley. With both,
Aggarwal’s aim is simple—to increase the shelf FARHAN HUSSAIN; BHARAT SIKKA; GETTY IMAGES
life of products and keep them out of landfills.
“This way, generations to come will value what
you take or derive from the environment, while
being conscious of not exploiting it and instead
allowing it to grow in a healthy manner.”

136 VOGUE INDIA JANUARY 2020 www.vogue.in