Recently designer Aartivijay Gupta brought out a collection inspired by Bhuli art - wall papers in Rajasthan for her Spring Summer 2019 outing, and designer duo Shivan and Narresh referenced Gond art in their resort offering. These weren't exceptions as Jade by Monica and Karishma reignited the charm of Rabari tribes of Kutch bringing out lehenga skirts with painstakingly executed ek taar embroidery. In the past few seasons, designers like Divya Sheth have brought forth old arts like ajrakh and kalamkari via collaborations with master craftsman and artists, to showcase the best in Indian crafts and textiles. So is it okay to deduce that folk art is getting its share of spotlight in Indian fashion?
Adds a unique edge
There have been many designers who have used folk art and the most recent case was Preeti Jain, who showcased at India Fashion Week. The Mumbai-based designer worked with languishing Madhubani artists and used their magical brushes on her saris. FDCI blogger Asmita Aggarwal observes, "The heartening aspect of folk art is that it is indigenous, Indian and raw, which adds a unique edge to each conceptual story that the style guru is attempting to explore. As more and more Indian designers are looking towards the West, there are only a handful, who explore lost crafts and actually use painstaking techniques like Pinjarakari and Khatambandh. This time Wajahat a young designer, who was part of the Elle First Cut, revived these crafts of Kashmir and brought them to prominence. The beauty of this lies in its interpretation, and how dexterously Mavericks give modern silhouettes a traditional undertone."
Jade’s Kutch-inspired lehenga skirts
Folk art: A reference point
The past few years have been very textile and weaving heavy - Indian designers have been hero-ing the country's textiles in a big way. "As a natural progression, I would expect to see more interest in Indian arts as well, and the fact that Aartivijay Gupta, Shivan and Narresh and Jade have taken inspiration from folk art, bears that out. But, folk art has been a reference point for Indian designers over the years, for example AM:PM and Warli art, any number of designers have used Kalamkari and Madhubani, but it's never been a bigger movement, and I don't see this as one either. It might still take off but it's very much wait and watch till next season," notes fashion writer Nishat Fatima.
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