A stitch in time

Crafting stories around everyday moments

Embroidery is an intricate art form that is both strenuous and elegant. Its early origins go way back to prehistoric times, and despite being an age-old tradition, it has quickly become an integral part of the contemporary world. Many artists around the world have found a way to express themselves through this art form. One among those artists is Anuradha Bhaumick, who channels her love and appreciation for everyday moments into her work, and weaves little joys of life in colourful creations. At IKKIVI Zine, we spoke to her about her love for embroidery, her approach toward her projects, the different perceptions people have toward this art, the role of sustainability in her creations, and more.

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We deeply admire your beautiful and intricate work. We would love to know how your journey as an embroidery artist began and what was your inspiration behind pursuing the art form.

I was taught embroidery at the age of five by my mother. I had chickenpox and was a hyperactive kid, which is a daunting combination, especially for the guardian responsible for isolating the child. I would wait for playtime every evening. My mom did not know how to quarantine me and did what she knew best. She gave me a handkerchief and taught me running stitch, chain stitch, and lazy daisy. Little did she know that she would have to spend the next three weeks trying to wean me off of it. I had forgotten about playtime even though I had recovered fully. I found a different kind of joy in embroidery. But my mom eventually did manage to make me go out. Between swimming lessons and growing up, embroidery took a backseat for me. However, I always had embroidery stuck in the back of my head. My mother’s Kantha sarees and her salvaging old sofa upholstery, raggedy pieces of denim, and faded school uniforms into unique jackets and other types of clothing really inspired me. I pursued fashion design for my bachelor’s and once again was reunited with my love for embroidery in the course material. But between having design jobs where the design direction is set in stone by international fashion forecasting agencies, I never really got to fully explore embroidery. By November 2019, I gave my resignation and started pursuing embroidery full-time.

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Most of your work portrays everyday life in a myriad of colours and details. What made you want to make this your signature style?

I find myself drawn to people living their best lives in their own safe spaces. Seeing people blossom without fear and gnawing worry of validation and criticism makes my heart twinkle. I admire and respect this feeling and want to shield it in any way I can. All my embroideries are mood boards for me. Everything I make, I aspire to be. As for colours, I draw inspiration from my garden I have grown from the ground up. The flowers, leaves, and fruits that grow in Olive’s garden are my inspiration, named after my pug, Olive. We were recommended this book called Colour Harmony when we were in design school. My mom bought it for me and reminded me repeatedly to milk every inch of it as it was pretty expensive. I only brushed through it once and felt like if you have to assign rules to colours, it steals the joy of it. Colours should represent current emotions, nostalgia, and what we want from the future. Not what someone else says is correct. That’s the wrong use of colour. And that’s pretty much my colour theory.

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Could you tell us what your creative process looks like and how much time it takes to create the lovely embroideries for your clientele?

My creative process is a lot of notes on the Keep App, segregating bunches of different colours of thread together (adding and reworking my colours), mental sketches, and handwritten notes in my diary. I don’t make rough sketches. I have only made it thrice on request for clients, and it’s not something I enjoy. Once I have made up my mind, I go straight for the kill or the muslin, to be more precise. I draw with a black ball pen on muslin. And I draw with a washable marker for the parts I’m unsure about. But I only draw portions of my artwork. I always begin with the main subjects, such as people, their four-legged family members, furniture, sentimental objects, plants, and other items. I build as I go as my work is very intuitive. I can’t stick to one sketch. Even I can’t predict how my artwork will turn out until the very last hour. It takes me anywhere between 20 – 150 hours to create my pieces. The time is dependent on many factors, such as the number of details, intricacy required, type of stitch, number of colours, the number of times I would need to thread my needle depending on these variables, the size of my canvas if I need to paint or appliqué.

Is there any artwork that is special to you, and if so, can you tell us about the story behind it?

All of my artwork is precious to me, but my ongoing series ‘Comfort Collages’ is appliquéd with fabrics that people have sent me from all over the world. Some fabrics belong to a mother who passed away. I am humbled by this kind of blind trust, when people give me their heirlooms. After all, who said fabric isn’t an heirloom? To say I am grateful would still not be enough. These acts of kindness remind me I am on the right path.

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Your embroideries have made it all across the world. How is your artwork perceived in India and abroad? Is there a difference between the two spaces?

There is a huge difference in my audience in India and the rest of the world. Here, to bluntly put it, embroidery is looked down on. A lot of it is rooted in misogyny and misinformation. In India, embroidery, knitting, and fibre arts are perceived as women’s work and a sign of subservience. This is preposterous because the origins of embroidery have been recorded since BC and have been used by women to record history, reinforce clothing from royal robes to the armour of warriors, and even in acts of resistance by the women of Palestine through the Tatreez. These are just a few examples I can think of at the top of my head. If one would take the time to dive deep, one would know the history of embroidery is a story founded on empowerment, emancipation, and an essential life skill. People are so used to seeing the people in their homes do needlework, knitting, and crochet as unpaid labour that they equate it to busywork. Embroidery, knitting, and all kinds of fibre arts we so often see in India require expensive tools, fabric, and other supplies. It is a beautiful art form that needs to be held with respect and power. I want to see this change in real time in India. Not only for me or my contemporaries but for all the people working in ateliers, in the corner tailor shops, in homes, everywhere.

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How does sustainability play a role in your projects? Are there any particular fabrics or materials you use to encourage the same?

Sustainability is the core value of my practice. 99% of the fabrics I use for appliqué are from my mother’s kurtas. Why her kurtas, you must wonder. Because she is 4’11”, and store-bought kurtas never fit her. I have been collecting these residual fabrics for years from her tailor, post alterations. All the fabric you see in my art is from her kurtas. I have everything I need, from Jaipuri Indigo cotton to Thai silks and ikats, all from my own house. Over the past 2 years and a half of my existence on social media, I have been receiving bags of heirloom fabrics from all over the world and even deadstock fabrics from fashion brands. I am thrilled to receive these and figure out how they shape my art in the future and currently through my collection called ‘Comfort Collages’. Besides that, I believe all objects have a life of their own. Objects are treasure troves of memories, hurt, pain, nostalgia, romance, and a thousand more emotions to travel back in time. This belief dictates my work and life, and I only spend on what I know I will not be able to discard. In my opinion, Toy Story is not an urban legend but a documentary. Call me silly, but I love the things I own, and they are irreplaceable.

What advice would you like to give aspiring artists from your experience? And tell us about your plans for the future, as we are very excited to know more and support them.

From my experience, I would like to say experiment, don’t try to be neat, be messy, and emote! It is the advice I am giving to myself. I hope it’s good enough for someone else too. And most importantly, price your work well!

And I will be participating in exhibitions next year. I am dreaming up many silly embroidery dreams in my head, and if I make them, it will be mind-boggling. Unconventional embroidery placements are time-consuming, maybe which is why I am still procrastinating. If I make them, I will be very happy, and it will be a new chapter in my embroidery life or LIFE!

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THE ART OF UPCYCLING

From scraps to style statement

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Upcycling is a way to transform old worn-out pieces into something new. The damaged clothes, scraps, or waste fabrics could easily be repurposed as your next wardrobe staple. It is an inventive process that significantly reduces the adverse effects of waste production and the constant demand for new clothes if done on a large scale. To get an insight into the art of upcycling clothes, we spoke with Kanika Jain, the founder and creative head of our label Kanelle, about her journey in the sustainable fashion space, the philosophy behind her work, and the brand’s one-of-a-kind upcycled collection ‘Scrap to Rack’.

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When and how did you decide to set up a sustainable fashion label?

A few years into the business, we decided to pivot towards sustainability and adopt new practices. It led us to start a new journey towards being a more eco-conscious brand. The sole reason was to be a responsible business considering that truly is the need of the hour and of the future since fashion is one of the major industries that exploit the environment, and we wanted to be wise about the carbon footprint our business leaves behind.

What is your philosophy behind Kanelle?

Kanelle is an easy-to-wear fashion label created for the free-spirited woman of today. With the use of handcrafted indigenous textiles, Kanelle embraces wardrobe staples that are luxurious and feminine while being unique and wearable.

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We would love to know about your new collection ‘Scrap to Rack’, your motivation behind it, and how you think it will bring a change in the sustainable fashion space.

The Scrap-To-Rack collection arose from the rising need to induce the drive of sustainability and dazzle it with the creative and free spirit of Kanelle. The sole reason to have this edit as a constant over the years is only to repurpose the waste, as we call it, that the production process leaves behind. We make sure to use the surplus, small scraps, or sometimes even unsold stock to reuse and create the collection and repurpose the materials that are left behind. I feel if all businesses think in such a manner, then there would be no need to keep utilising additional materials. All things will be in use fully, leading to lesser waste.

Where do you source waste materials or scraps to create clothes? What are the fabrics that you usually enjoy working with?

All our materials for scrap to rack collection come from our production waste which at times are smaller scraps or surplus materials left over from previous collections. We enjoy working with cotton, linens, silk blends, sustainable viscose, etc.

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How easy or complicated is the art of upcycling? What are the challenges that come with this method of creation?

According to me, the art of upcycling is complicated but in a beautiful way. It is the most challenging collection that we create out of all others we work on because there are limited possibilities that we have to work with. The major challenges that we face while working on the collection are with respect to material availability and the type of design we can create out of that, and deciding what size that can be made into. Since we cater to many sizes, we can’t just create specific types of sizes, so we have to make sure we are fully size inclusive across the collections in various styles.

How have people responded to your brand’s upcycled collection?

The collection is very well received by our customers, as they truly appreciate the story, effort, and design behind it.

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How does the label keep up with the ever-changing fashion industry? Is this something you take into consideration when designing your new collections?

Yes, absolutely! Any business must keep evolving with the changing times and try multiple things in their working and design process while maintaining its signature and sensibilities as a brand. If you don’t cater to the need of the hour, then things start to be more challenging.

Can you share with us any other plans or initiatives Kanelle would like to pursue in the future?

As I mentioned above, there are many things we keep trying as a business and try to become ever-evolving to have a fresh perspective with such changing times. We have started collaborating with other brands, and I am sure in the future, you will see many more collaborations coming from Kanelle.

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The making of timeless fashion

A look into the intricacies of minimal and versatile silhouettes

Garments made using quality materials go a long way in protecting us and our environment from harm. Timeless and mindful fashion is the way forward as a sustainable practice, unlike fast fashion that eventually ends up in landfills. At IKKIVI Zine, we had an inspiring conversation with our designer Khyati Pande, founder of Itr by Khyati Pande, about her journey of building a sustainable brand and the creative process of making timeless apparel, and the challenges faced in the process.

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How did your journey of creating conscious fashion begin?

The creative seed was genetic. As an introvert, visuals have always been my first language of communication. From summer holidays spent witnessing my grandmother draped in crisp Jamdani sarees, hand embroidering and home stitching home linens to inheriting my mother’s collection of timeless handloom silks and Banarasi fabrics, textiles have always been my point of fascination. These led to me pursuing my graduation from NIFT Mumbai and my master’s from NID Ahmedabad.

What does your everyday production process look like, and how does the label master its timeless style?

My design process is very organic. The starting point is always the textiles. With every new collection, we try to add a weave, cluster, or hand skill to the brand design vocabulary. These are shaped into timeless silhouettes, finished with finer details that don’t superimpose the human effort that has gone into handcrafting that piece of textile. These textiles are the basic building blocks of every collection. As a made-to-order brand, the production capacity is increased based on the organically growing demand. It has been slow but sustainable and stable growth, which doesn’t lead to overproducing or piles of dead stock.

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How do you find and translate the phrase ‘comfort in chaos’ in making mindful apparel?

Itr is not a trend or season-specific brand. The idea is to craft stories because stories are timeless and transeasonal as they bring a sense of comfort and ease, just like our clothing.

The three top areas of our minimal and handcrafted essentials lie in:

Comfort: It should bring effortless ease to the wearer, whether the setting is home or work.

Textiles: The silhouette is designed keeping in mind the nature and character of that piece of fabric. To be mindful of resources, embrace the simplicity that doesn’t overshadow the skill and effort in crafting that one piece.

Functionality and Utility: The garment should have the ability to adapt according to the occasion, space, or time zones.

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Can you tell us about the artisans you work with and how they have helped shape your vision of sustainability for your brand?

Every year we try to add a new craft cluster on board. Working with artisans comes with its own set of challenges, which is why I visit the cluster in person to understand the resources and scope of their skill set better. We usually begin with a small pilot sampling which helps build a rapport with the artisans and an understanding of the timelines.

Today we are working with three different clusters. 80% of the textiles we use at Itr are woven on handlooms, hand block printed, and hand embroidered. So far, we have been working with extremely fine and lightweight Bengal khadi muslins, airy Katan silks from Benaras, coarser cotton from Karnataka, and block prints from Rajasthan.

Whether it’s the hands involved at every step in making the brand or the women who have consistently made us a part of their wardrobe, it also matured us to be more compassionate towards each individual. As we grow slowly and mindfully, I hope we support more craft communities and reach out to more wardrobes.

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What are the challenges you face in the process?

Itr started in 2014 without any blueprint. With a small budget in a room on the roof of my home with a team of two. Today we have grown into a cosy studio with a small but ever-growing in-house team of 15.Coming from a nonbusiness background, whether it was restricted capital or human resource, the brand has organically bloomed and learned to be self-sustained within the limitations. The humble beginnings taught me to be mindful, to have an immense amount of patience and empathy, and to be compassionate not just to the people who help us build our basics but also towards the people who have constantly made us a part of their wardrobes.

The brand has purely grown through word of mouth and positive consumer experience. It perhaps helped the brand hold its foundation even in current times.

What does the future of the label look like, and what would you like the future of fashion to look like?

Time is the true luxury now. To slow down is the need of the hour in every aspect, not just fashion alone. It is a conscious choice to grow towards being a mindful brand. To be sustainable in any field of work can’t be achieved in a day, it needs to be an everyday practice.

While it is often perceived that slow or sustainable comes with a heavy price tag, the cost is always a crucial point in conscious fashion. It is, however, never disproportionate to the time and effort that has gone into making that garment.

As a designer, I also believe that it is important to make handwoven handcrafted luxury more accessible. To truly bring change, it needs to be relatable to more people.

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What is your process to design a collection? How has it changed over the years, if so?

Being a small brand built from scratch, one has a lot of emotions invested in everything you make. Every collection I have done has taught me something new, either about the trade itself or life.

What advice would you give to a young brand starting out in the sustainability space? And what is something you wish you knew before embarking on this journey as a designer?

It requires never-ending patience and being honest to yourself and the people you work with.

There is no rule book or defined method for building a brand/business. We all have our own unique journeys.

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Why waste is the way forward

Changing the narrative around the culture of disposability

By 2050 landfills are estimated to have over 150 million tonnes of clothing waste if we continue on the current trajectory of production and consumption. In this environment, young designers and labels are looking to create from waste and resources which already exist. At IKKIVI Zine, we spoke with Akshit Bangar, the creative mind behind the label Urban Darzi on the brand’s journey so far, the philosophy behind their products and the pertinent need to create with waste.

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Where and how did your journey with fashion and waste start?

I think I’ve always liked the idea of clothes and fashion in general, even when I was a kid. Coming back from Nottingham after graduation, my dad offered to start a denim brand from one of his trading stock lots lying in his factory and I took that up. We ran a mass market denim wear brand for about 4 years supplying to major multinational retailers like Walmart and ITC till about 2017, right around the time when demonetisation hit and the conversation around fashion industry’s implications towards climate change & global warming started coming to the fore, especially in the Indian subcontinent. Although we were using seconds and discarded fabric lots even back then, we were still guilty of contributing to the problem at large. Post which I shut that arm down and focused on building an individual custom clothing company, with the last mile fabric remnants taken from big/small retailers and even individuals who used to sell on barrows. This is where the groundwork in my brain actually started taking shape towards imagining an overarching fashion company (and subsequently the whole industry) that runs entirely on everything considered as ‘waste.’ After a lot of research, trial and errors, failed investments – I finally launched Urban Darzi, as we know it, towards the end of 2020 with the ideology of creating a circular economy, where waste is looked upon as a valuable resource/raw material and used to create everyday lifestyle products, and where a closed loop system is created to have that initial set of waste coming back to the ecosystem till it is down to the last shreds and eventually recycled into newer material.

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You mention that you use ‘jugaad’ as a philosophy to repurpose all that you find laying in dumps. Could you tell us a little about how and where this philosophy finds expression in your production process?

The idea of jugaad is one we, as Indians, know very well. It is seeped into our systems from early childhood by our mothers and society at large, on how to make use of everything and how to make everything work through jugaad. It’s in our vocabulary, in our understanding, in our day to day functioning. So when we say we use ‘jugaad’ as a philosophy to repurpose all that we find laying in dumps, we aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary, we are simply applying that idea, to make use of everything, into our design process and often re-imagining design in a non-conformist way. For example, we used single use plastic bags and food and consumer packaging waste, that we picked up from roadside dumps, and put it in between the lining of a jacket — which does pose an argument of microplastics going into water stream after washing — for which we put in our conscious design principles in place and make sure we are doing that on products that you can go on wearing without washing for months, such as a jacket – how often do you wash a jacket in winters? Another example, we worked with Khamir to upcycle single use plastics found on the streets into raw material, from which we made small holdalls and totes.

It’s not just using plastics, though. We recently did a collaboration with Urban Monkey where we made a sac cover from age-old fabric folders (the ones fabric suppliers send to manufacturers/retailers for sampling and no one seems to care about). We are working on an object’s line where we use the same jugaad ideology, to make decor pieces from all kinds of waste material that we can find on the streets/dumpyards/landfills.

Do some of the conscious values at Urban Darzi seep into your way of living? What does that look like in your everyday life?

Simple things, really. Generating as little waste as possible. Being conscious and mindful of your ways in life, not just from an environmental perspective, but as a human being overall. Being grounded. Being responsible for yourself, for the things around you and extending that thought process onto as many people as possible.

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A fundamental part of building a business is developing an aesthetic for your brand. How did you decide yours, and how did you know it was right with your ethos?

I’ve been a brand fanatic all my life. I love the idea of how a brand you look at, interact with, can impact your life in more ways than what you actively see and feel. When closing in on the aesthetic for Urban Darzi , I didn’t really set anything in stone other than the fact that it had to be completely different from the clutter we had at that time. A mix of raw, honest offbeat and transparent approach to the idea of fashion and clothes in general, was the cornerstone of it all. And who doesn’t like good visual design when they see it, so the editorials, the photography, the conversational aspect of the brand just blended in all naturally.

We often talk about waste from an environmental perspective. We’d like to know more about its artistic and visual aspects. What do you see and feel when you look at it? And what is your creative process like when designing from it?

To create from what the world seems to have discarded – is often where creative genius lies. That’s what I tell all the design team members. For me, it literally is a playground. And the best part, there is always a new variety/kind of waste to play with and figure out how to upcycle and make a new product from it. Like yesterday only I found a lot of iron mesh sheets at a construction site and I am already thinking about what and how to make something valuable and aesthetically cool out of it. Creative process? It’s just about making the best possible use of it in the most efficient and radical way possible.

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A new product’s value is considered to be much higher. And waste has somehow largely had a negative connotation attached to it. The frequent perceptions around it are that it is a re-utilized byproduct or fad to work with. Can designs made from waste come to have a similar value to fresh pieces? What have your experiences been with this in your practice?

We’ve been conditioned to believe this. It’s only a small section of the crowd today that has opened up to the idea of upcycled products and substituting them from a regular purchase in their everyday lives. Personally, I like to believe that products made from waste should actually have more value than a regular product, owing to the simple fact that the design process is much harder ( we can be at it all day to prove how) and takes much more creative thinking whereas the production is equally and painstakingly difficult in some cases. But it requires an overarching systemic change in the way people think and interact with products and their wants/needs in general; something that only collectively can be achieved with all stakeholders actively involved.

What are some of the ways in which we, as consumers, can use or connect with ‘waste’ – our personal waste and the waste that we generate, apart from recycling it?

I am no expert and am learning on the job everyday, but I believe it’s something as simple as being mindful of the waste you create. Seeing where and what you can put back to use, what you can avoid using. Seeing where and how you can collaborate with brands and give them the waste you collect for them to use it further in making new, circular products. Just simple, small things – repeated everyday, by everyone that will eventually account for a larger, societal change.

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How ‘Fast’ Can We ‘Slow’ Down?

A Glance Into the Problematics of Change

With slow fashion trying to change the dynamics of the fashion business, our designer Neha Kabra from our sustainable brand Maati by Neha Kabra, speaks about the contradictions the trailblazers of the ‘slow’ industry are recurrently met with in the face of the insatiable demands of fast production and consumption.

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What does a fashion revolution mean to you, and how does that play a role in the way the brand keeps evolving?

A fashion revolution is where we address the real problems, the core matters, and not just use it as a fad word or keep it as a trend. It’s where we talk about the raw material problem and the landfill problem, and how to tackle it.

What are some of the problems that you’ve seen come up in these everyday processes of sustainability?

Each process has its own problems. And when we talk about slow fashion, when we talk about sustainable brands,churning four or five collections, a year is practically not possible. I mean, there’s nothing slow about it. And in fashion, I think each process, say even if the fabrics are produced, the weavers I work with, it takes nearly two months to produce 50 meters of fabric.

One loom only produces around 12 meters of fabric in one go. And that takes nearly a good one month. So there are multiple looms working to do that and if the fabric only takes two months to come and then the actual production takes place. So it has its own timeline and the constant need in fashion to have something “new” constantly has unfortunately become a cultural practice. That we see something and we want it and to produce that design immediately is something beyond my imagination as production takes such a long time. And to bring that change I think is more of a challenge at the moment. Yes, people are aware about sustainability, people are aware about the story and where it’s coming from, but still, constantly wanting something new is a very, very big challenge.

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Do you feel that that’s a change that might be coming soon? Or do you feel that it’s gonna be a really slow shift where we’re actually able to become accustomed to or understand that we need to consume more mindfully? That it’s not just that production needs to be slower, but the rate of consumption needs to be slower.

I don’t want to sound pessimistic but sometimes pessimism is what supports us to reaching toward that goal. But I do feel it’s far away for everybody right now. By the end of it, everybody looks for business. For everybody, it’s easier to produce at a larger scale money wise. They say it’s easier to produce 50 pieces in one design than producing one of 50 new designs. And the constant need of needing new, new, new – how do you let that go completely? The culture we are living in is a very fast culture. So it’s not only fast fashion, but fast lives we are living in. With the social media impact, I’m not saying it’s all bad, always, but by now in our culture, there’s so many other brands which are even expediting fast fashion. Even if you want to reverse the phenomena, there are a lot of brands on the opposite side. So while we are actually running into the direction of slow fashion, there is also a lot of expedited fast fashion. I don’t see it happening, fast, but I’m hoping that the change will come because this is exactly like when I started – people were not aware about what sustainable fashion is. Especially in India, I think four or five years down before the word was just becoming a trend. But now I think most people, after having been affected by Covid – 19 are much, much more aware about it. People have become wiser on their spending. They’re not just buying for the sake of it. So I think change will come. It’s taking its own sweet time, but it will come, it has to.

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When you’re exploring new fabrics or materials, what kind of input do you get from the artisans? Do they often already know about it or are they also exploring them with you?

It’s both. So when there was a fabric like bamboo, there was still awareness that the fabric is being made. We get the samples, we all touch, feel, see what works for us, what doesn’t work for us. But in bamboo there are so many weaves that are coming in. And when we get those and when we all sit together that’s what amazes them and where we all explore together.

They sometimes really can’t believe that our world has so much technology that is a boon. That’s what strikes them. They feel that this is going to be for the better. And at the same time, it’s slightly worrisome for them too because they are concerned that if people will shift to different styles given the state of fast fashion. There are pros and cons of both. But you have to constantly tell them that “no, (y)our practice is completely different”. You still have to make them [artisans] believe that what you are doing is absolutely fine because they’re growing everything organically. For example, kala cotton is a wild cotton grown naturally without any pesticides and insecticides. So you have to constantly assure them that what you are doing, your process is good and it’s not going to go anywhere. But of course, they (and all of us) do have to accept some of the changes we see coming in fashion – whether for better or worse.

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For the Love of Fabrics

Telling Tales of Threads

High quality materials and craftsmanship are the cornerstone of all our brands. At IKKIVI Zine, we spoke with Aarushi Kilawat, Founder and Creative Head of The Loom Art about her deep connections to fabrics, what a revolution means for her, and how she believes we can cooperate in the face of competition.

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What does a fashion revolution mean for you and The Loom Art?

A fashion revolution is a larger word with a lot of weight. From when we started to where we are now, we have mellowed down with the word and how we use it – sometimes a revolution doesn’t have to be put out in such big letters. As people, our own journey with a fashion revolution is one where we are trying to understand what it means in which context. But for us at The Loom Art, what a fashion revolution really means is that we need to keep re-doing ourselves and the ideologies we have been working on. What we see is that post the pandemic, people are more aware of slow fashion and slow living, and how we can sustain ourselves with bare necessities. Our challenge now is to see how long we can sustain that lifestyle.

None of us can always do the right thing in every direction, and so with a fashion revolution, it’s important for us to find our own direction. For The Loom Art it’s about people who work with us. I am someone who loves being involved with my people, not just professionally but also emotionally. The whole essence of people who work at the ground level – our artisans – are our backbone. It’s about being able to offer them a livelihood, and encourage their younger generations and communities to pursue careers and be part of this craft.

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Have you been working with the same artisans for the last 5 years?

Yes, the team I started with is still with me. We’ve grown ofcourse. And we’ve all been very emotionally involved in the growth of the team. There’s a different high to that altogether – we’ve gone from a team of 3 to 25 now. And all of them know what we (The Loom Art) are about, even though they weren’t all from the same background when we started.

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What are the fabrics you work with and why do you choose them?

Until 3 years ago, we primarily used only khadi as it is a fabric that can last a lifetime. Now we’ve expanded our range, but only to include other handwoven fabrics. Along with khadi, we now do a variety of silks and linen. I love to hold and smell the fabric and I love how India is so rich in craft. Each of these fabrics has a tremendous amount of potential to be made into different silhouettes, and with each, the pieces would still be gorgeous.The fall, the texture, everything comes through with these fabrics. I also choose to work with them as the garments made from these fabrics are exceptionally durable and each piece of clothing can be passed on from generation to generation. I like the feeling that it travels a journey and passes on to another person, to have another story.

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There is a general notion that sustainable businesses should stay or be small; that when they scale up too much it becomes harder to maintain sustainable practices. Do you think there is some truth to this idea?

Yes, but not completely. You need to be able to follow certain practices and maintain quality over and above everything. You never want to lose our essence due to the pressures of quantity, and if you get too wrapped up with the numbers game, you might lose your ground. The middle ground is always there where you can do your thing, offer it to others at a growing scale domestically and internationally, and still stay sustainable. That middle ground is key.

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Customers and consumers were limited to shopping online during the pandemic. We consequently see a lot of competition for attention in the digital space for lower price points from customers over what may be sustainable. Does this ever have an impact on your work?

Yes, sometimes there is a fight for attention. But what we are trying to do is create a conscious community, not force anyone to do something. Keeping up with trends works for some people, and that’s okay. There are people who love what we do at The Loom Art as well as in sustainable fashion, and want to know more. Those are the people we want to work for and are working for. People have lost the idea of touching and feeling and knowing the garment and understanding why it costs what it costs, especially when made ethically. It becomes a challenge and I have also struggled with it. But we have been able to create a valuable section of consumers who know what we are, see our brand value and support our work. For them and for us, it’s not just about sales. It is about having a conversation and narrating your story, as well as building a community through physical interaction. What I think is most important to understand is what you do and why you do it.

CREDITS

Changing the Ways in Which we Work

Tracing New Trajectories in Fashion

Cultivating change and correcting large scale issues at the systemic level in the fashion industry is often thought to hold more power and potential to make a real difference in how the fashion system works. While this may be a truth true in its own right, we want to share with you how we’re inspired by our brand Em and Shi and their founder Mansi Bhatia about the qualitative change working differently and more mindfully can bring to a brand’s artisans, people and the environment – making change just as potent at the micro level as at the macro.

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What does a fashion revolution mean for you? What are the ways in which it has taken shape through your brand?

For us, the revolution would kind of mean in the smaller steps because, if you talk about things at large or if we really require things to change, they kind of have to change at a much more macro level, such as in terms of regulations and certifications. For us at Em and Shi, what it means is to do the best for everyone. To create our processes in a way where it is the most sustainable, and by sustainable I mean, it’s good for the people who are working for us, it’s good for the people who are gonna be wearing the garment, it’s good for everyone involved at every stage. Often when we try to achieve that sort of perfection in terms of what we’re trying to do. It’s like, if today I was supposed to shut everybody who’s working in fast fashion, we would have so many unemployed people and they would in turn, go somewhere else, you know? So I feel like a revolution kind of has to come from smaller steps. And what we do is to kind of make our processes easier on everybody, including the environment and the people whom we can take care of on our level.

I think I learnt that only because when I started, I came in with this whole revolutionary mindset to “do this and do that.” And what I found is that most of it is not possible because either it would be beyond our means as a growing business or it wouldn’t make sense for the people who are working for you. So when we came in, we kind of wanted this sort of approach where everything is super systematic, but what I’ve realized and found helpful is that we mold our structure according to the people that are working for our brand – to kind of change what we are doing to suit them more.

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Does it feel like it has made a difference for your artisans and team, and for the brand?

I believe so, yes, because we still have the same people that started working with us from the beginning. Our pattern making hasn’t changed at all. Not even one of them has left or gone away. The fact that they haven’t felt like they need to step out and look for anything else, or even when they are trying to voice their voice, or if there’s anything that’s not working for our and their system – a few minor things obviously – they come to us and we accommodate that. And we really want to.

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Could you share with us an instance where molding your ways of working to suit the needs of the artisans hold an impact on their everyday life, and consequently, beyond?

In the villages and spaces, anywhere where the women are working, their kids are hanging out in that area and they are often playing there too. Sometimes if they feel like blocking a piece of cloth, they are blocking it as well. I can’t stop it. The children are by no means involved in the production process, but rarely if they want to do it for play, I don’t discourage it. At the same time that’s their community. That’s literally the name of their community. They’re “printers”. We too have gotten a little more comfortable with them doing it as a community and not having to hide the fact that their children also hang out at their workplace. This is the reality, and we don’t have to modify it to show a different picture to someone, for the very reason that this is the way they work and people need to understand it. It also helps them to have their children around as there’s no one to take care of or be with them at home, and they are too young to be alone.

CREDITS

Creating Honest Change Through our Individual Paths

Why Being Who We Are Matters

Our sustainable brand Ahmev started out in 2019, unaware of the pandemic that was to strike us all. Finding their ground in the midst of uncountable challenges, they’ve carved a unique place for themselves as an ethical fashion brand in the last couple of years. We, at IKKIVI, spoke with co-founders Kanchan Sharma and Manish Garg about what revolutionizing the fashion system looks like, issues that small ‘sustainable’ brands face, why standing our ground and following our hearts matters, why they work the way they do, and the many things they are exploring.

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What does a fashion revolution mean to you?

Kanchan: The fashion industry has played a major role in impacting the environment. In the world of fashion, everyone has done their part – they’ve shown the different meanings and definitions of sustainability and slow fashion. We have too. We recycle and make different things from scraps as well as waste material. However, an important part of what a fashion revolution means to me is showcasing Indian heritage and supporting different artisans by being personally involved in each part of the process. Whenever I create a collection, I personally involve myself by connecting deeply with the inspiration of every collection, working with organic fabrics, supporting women and karigars, and amalgamating modern and Indian sensibilities together. This makes a big difference for us, and being able to now have an international presence is a milestone for us. We only aim to go upward and impact more lives through our work.

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What is a challenge that you see conscious fashion brands are likely to experience over the next decade?

Kanchan: People have attached sustainability with restrictions too. Nearly everyone requires certifications that are expensive and processes that are long, and are not clearly marked or very straightforward. We ourselves have had to change our terminologies and how we speak about a fabric because they are patented. An example of this is khadi.

Manish: For small businesses that are actually sustainable and committed to doing more, this presents quite an issue right now, as this is not a one off case for when you are establishing your brand’s name and its credibility. Whenever you want to apply for B2B or competitions, certifications have become a preliminary requirement. Each country has their own certifications, and they don’t always connect across the world as there aren’t always standardized guidelines. We think this is a large challenge that we expect conscious businesses will continue to face in the coming years and will have to find ways to overcome.

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How has the last year been for Ahmev as a brand?

Kanchan: We started Ahmev in 2019, and I was never a dreamer. Manish pushed me to pursue my dreams and showed me what I can do, and having worked on them consistently, we are glad that the last year has been a very successful one for us. I have enjoyed the process – working with the karigars and my business partners Manish and Anchal. Our karigars are growing, and with them, our brand. We’ve been partaking in the making of each garment ourselves, and being involved in the small everyday practices has been so therapeutic. That’s really been the beauty of our enterprise being a start up.

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The color white has been so important to you and to your brand Ahmev. How has your relationship with the color developed in these years, and how do you feel about adding other colors to your collections?

Kanchan: I still face the issue of people asking me to make the same design in a different color. Even Manish used to suggest that we should make our garments in other colors if there is a demand for it. But people have come to accept it, and so has our team, as this is our brand’s USP. I have never used color, and I have even been afraid of them. Over time, I have been coming to understand color a little more and really worked on it with this new collection. But white is still our trademark, and we want to see that forward.

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We’d love to know of some of the new things you’ve been doing at Ahmev

Kanchan: We’ve been doing more capsule collections as our customers enjoy them a lot. We’ve also been experimenting with menswear and doing trials on Manish!

Manish: I too have been exploring myself more through this, and hand painting some of our clothes with Anchal and Kanchan. In fact, I think I’m now becoming quicker at it than them!

CREDITS

The IKKIVI Pop Up

Bangalore Diaries

Two years since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, we held a pop up in mid March in Bangalore, India. A sweet, socially distanced event that was all about celebrating and having fun with sustainable and vintage fashion, we loved spending time with our customers and friends in person after such a long time.

While we have consciously chosen to have our shop online to ensure that we make our clothes to order as much as possible, prevent overstock and minimize wastage, we had some starkly pleasurable moments when we set up shop that have certainly inspired us to have pop ups more often!

1. The tactility of a garment creates an unparalleled connection

Meeting people and seeing them feel excitement and wonder through touching, holding and trying a garment as a truly unparalleled experience was heartwarming and telling of how phenomenological our relationship with clothing is really designed to be. The comforts of shopping for sustainable fashion online, though equally undeniable, do still hide from us the immediate, felt emotions that arise upon sensing and feeling the softness of a fabric, running our fingers through the stitches of a fold, imagining where and how we would don this style, understanding the differences between ‘fit’ and ‘size’ with each style, and feeling clarity and surety in investing in a product.

2. The experience of our community

It was so delightful to meet people from all walks of life, talk about clothing and homeware, share with each other our learnings and challenges within sustainability, know what we are all up to, and truly enjoy the beauty and playfulness of fashion together through the days. This sense of community inspired and rejuvenated us all alike to keep with our commitment to living consciously and making a change in the fashion industry.

3. The joy of discovery

One of the most valuable things we saw people find joy in, was experiencing the wide-ranging independent sustainable Indian brands that are innovating with different tools and resources, and uniquely blending traditional fabrics, techniques and modern styling to design contemporary silhouettes. Getting an insight into our homegrown clothing brands Artisan Luxe and Doodlage, jewellery and accessories brands such as Roma Narsinghani, STEM, and Carte Blanche, and tableware brand The Burrow, along with many others, allowed everyone to not just shop if they needed to, but explore freely and build on the idea of cultivating a conscious wardrobe and lifestyle.

As the central and state restrictions on holding public events get further relaxed now, we’ll be having a lot more pop ups through the year and would love to see you at them. To know more about when and where our next pop up will be, please follow our Instagram page. And ofcourse, you can always shop our mindfully curated collections online whenever you like.

CREDITS

Fashion Revolution Week

How You Can Be Part of the Movement

The catastrophic collapse of the Rana Plaza Factory (24th April, 2013) in Bangladesh that killed over 1130 garment workers manufacturing clothing for several major fashion brands has revealed the vast complexities that have prevailed in the fashion system for over half a century, and has become a caveat for the fashion industry in the last few years to take measures towards the betterment of the working conditions of its people and within their factories. The industry’s complex value chain and systemic inequalities compel us all to be(come) vitally involved now in reforming its structural practices and building awareness about sustainable and ethical fashion – both as producers and consumers.

As the industry is starting to change slowly, this Fashion Revolution Week, a time where brands and producers are urged to give consumers an insight into their production processes – what goes on behind the scenes at their brand – we’d like to share with you how you can be part of the revolution with us.

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1. Do research on the brands you (want to) shop from and asking them questions

In order for us to be able to make conscious choices when shopping, it’s important to understand the processes of production and supply chain through which our garments or products are being made. Asking the brand questions about how the products were designed (whether they were handcrafted or mass produced), what kind of materials were used in their make (were they organic or include chemicals, vegan or utilized animal products/ residues), where they were manufactured (locally or globally), what kind of techniques their design processes included, the amount of waste generated, minimized and reutilized in their creation, the number of hours it takes to produce one product, the working conditions of their artisans and fair pay are some of the most direct and immediate ways in which we can inquire about what went into the making of their goods and services, and prevent us from being influenced by greenwashing. It’s okay if you may have previously purchased from a brand that you love without knowing about their methods of production, learning about them today is still valuable, as, in the long run it will help to make more informed decisions.

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2. Use the #whomademyclothes hashtag on social media

The #whomademyclothes hashtag has come about as a way to encourage people to ask brands where their clothes come from, who makes them, under what kind of working conditions and pay. One way you can partake in this is by taking a photo of your brand’s label during Fashion Revolution Week, and asking the brand #whomademyclothes? by sharing it and tagging the brand in your post on Instagram or Twitter. Many brands may not respond to the question or share only limited information about it, but brands that are genuinely aware and involved with the people who work with them are likely to show transparency of their processes. If a brand doesn’t respond, we encourage you to keep asking them and exercising your consumer rights.

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3. Learn about the impact of fast fashion

The social, economic and environmental effect of fast fashion is nearly irreversibly damaging for both our environment and people. More than 60% of clothes are made of synthetic materials derived from petrochemicals that do not decompose, but instead break down into smaller and smaller particles called microfibers and microplastics. Discarded clothing made of synthetic fibers now sits in landfills for 200 years. 97% of fast fashion is produced in developing countries with poor labor laws, human rights protections, forced and child labor under dangerous working conditions and abuse and unlivable wages. While knowing about such injustices and labyrinthine difficulties that surround the fashion system can feel discouraging and induce in us feelings of anger, guilt and shame, we hope that knowing the realities of these situations can strengthen your resolution to consume and create differently, and shift consciousness by learning about the workings of fast fashion more frequently.

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4. Understand the scope of slow fashion and climate consciousness

It can be difficult for brands to start out 100% sustainable in all their practices. But a label’s openness to evolve with time is a characteristic that is bringing on a lot of innovation and advancement in sustainable practices. Learning about how certain slow fashion brands are innovating and challenging themselves to do better with each collection can inspire our curiosity and build trust in participating and supporting a fashion revolution at the micro, everyday level. For example, our sustainable brand ‘Doodlage’ wields scrap waste and recycled materials, ‘SUI’ uses organic fabrics made from hemp, and ‘Mishe’ employs orange peel fabric to create novel designs – all of which are taking them – and us – a step further in understanding sustainable production and studying the influences of diverse materials on the natural world. At the same time, following the work of world leaders, climate activists, organizations and policy makers can educate us on the agency and power we hold at a collective level and how we can initiate action and change, as both individuals and businesses.

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5. Cultivate awareness with friends and family

Nothing makes being involved in creating change as fun as having trivia games, movie nights, book clubs and conversations with our loved ones! Coming together and thinking about the ways in which we can create a community around the subject, engage with it meaningfully, build a more conscious wardrobe and allow each other to learn a little more than we knew a day before goes a long way in making a real difference.

Sustainability and fashion revolution as a movement and practice, will always keep building and challenging us to be better – and with it, our methods. In our ideal to make fashion 100% sustainable and slow, together, as a community, we believe it is of key value to keep our eye on progress over perfection, and do as much as we can, when we can. Every step counts. Every decision makes a difference.

A stitch in time

Crafting stories around everyday moments

CREDITS

Interviewer and Writer

Prerna Malhotra

Layout and Graphic Design

Vedhika HV

Editor

Rhea Gupte

IKKIVI zine is a property of IKKIVI by Founder

Nivi Murthy

THE ART OF UPCYCLING

From scraps to style statement

CREDITS

Interviewer and Writer

PRERNA MALHOTRA

Layout and Graphic Design

VEDHIKA HV

Editor

RHEA GUPTE

IKKIVI Zine is a property of IKKIVI by Founder

NIVI MURTHY

The making of timeless fashion

A look into the intricacies of minimal and versatile silhouettes

CREDITS

Interviewer and Writer

PRERNA MALHOTRA

Layout and Graphic Design

VEDHIKA HV

Editor

RHEA GUPTE

IKKIVI Zine is a property of IKKIVI by Founder

NIVI MURTHY

Why waste is the way forward

Changing the narrative around the culture of disposability

CREDITS

Interviewer and Writer

MALINI MATHUR

Layout and Graphic Design

VEDHIKA HV

Images by

THE URBAN DARZI TEAM

Editor

RHEA GUPTE

IKKIVI Zine is a property of IKKIVI by Founder

NIVI MURTHY

How ‘Fast’ Can We ‘Slow’ Down?

A Glance Into the Problematics of Change

CREDITS

Interviewer and Writer

Malini Mathur

Design and Layout

Vedhika HV

Editor

Rhea Gupte

Images by

Neha Kabra

For the Love of Fabrics

Telling Tales of Threads

CREDITS

Interviewer and Writer

Malini Mathur

Layout and Graphic Design

Vedhika HV

Images by

The Loom Art team

Editor

Rhea Gupte

IKKIVI Zine is a property of IKKIVI by Founder

Nivi Murthy

Changing the Ways in Which we Work

Tracing New Trajectories in Fashion

CREDITS

Interviewer and Writer

Malini Mathur

Layout and Graphic Design

Vedhika HV

Images by

Mansi Bhatia (Em and Shi)

Editor