For sustainability to take the lead in the fashion industry, textile conservationist Sailesh Singhania tells Ayushi Sharma how people need to understand the difference between what’s perishable and plastic
When the Indian textile industry stood at the second position from 2014 to 2017, it certainly seemed that it would top the ladder in the coming years. However, it’s only two days ago that the Confederation of Indian Textiles Industry (CITI) revealed that the industry is losing its edge in the international market as it slipped to rank five last year. Sailesh Singhania, who happens to be the sixth-generation textile conservationist and designer from Hyderabad, whose forefathers joined the Nizam’s legacy in 1881, points out its reason. “Indian textile industry was earlier available to the people globally. We are very well known for our prints for the past 3,000 years. When we say prints, it is always India that comes to everybody’s mind. When you say Kalamkaari prints, it’s India again. And how can we forget Khadi, of course. Because of a lot of competition today, there is a lot of production of power looms. So the production cost has become a major factor for shrinking of the Indian textile industry,” says he and adds that when you talk about the international market, it only consists of the volume of sales, they never check upon any other measures. “The volume needs to be more reasonable.”
One of the solutions to sustain the industry, he shares, could be if the government starts to provide them tax holidays just like textile countries like China do. “If you compare the textiles of India, in terms of the cost and pricing turnovers, the handloom industry is hardly 10 per cent of the market. The major market is covered by power looms,” he says.
The designer has always been passionate about Khadi as he feels that it is the most “luxurious” fabric. Though Indians feel that silk is the most luxurious one but Singhania says that the hand-spun Khadi takes more time than spinning the silk and the concentration level needs to be at extreme while we are at it. And that is the reason why the designer’s latest collection features a combination of Khadi and age-old techniques like the Jamdani and embellishing it with intricate motifs inspired by modern Japanese art, thereby bringing a plethora of cultures and traditions together and culminating them into one final creation.
“That’s why I wanted to do something with Khadi with the finer accounts. Jamdani technique was started 1,000 years ago. It is very time-consuming but yes, there is no limitation to the designs. A four to five metre saree can be of a single design and that’s its beauty,” says Singhania.
Though Jamdani has enjoyed immense popularity right from the beginning, the art form bloomed during the Mughal period. However, colonisation by the British saw a decline in the production of it. Export of cheaper yarn from European countries in the 19th century was one of the primary reasons for the decline. Also, with the decline of Mughal rule in India, producers of Jamdani were deprived of their most influential patrons. Villages like Madhurapur and Jangalbadi in Bihar, once famous for the intricate Jamdani industry, faded into oblivion. Post the Partition, many weavers had migrated to present-day West Bengal, which marked the beginning of the art form in India. He shares about its tedious process. The making of it involves the supplementary weft technique along with the standard weft technique. With the latter, the base sheer material is made on which thicker threads are used to create designs. Each of the supplementary weft motif is then added manually by interlacing the weft threads with fine bamboo sticks using individual spools. This process results in the vibrant patterns that appear to float on a shimmering surface, which is a feature unique to Jamdani sarees.
So why can’t we use the age-old techniques as they are — raw and rich — rather than blending it with newer approach? He says, “We are using the old techniques only. The new technique is like power looms, which gives you the price-effective production cost, which is the difference between handloom and power loom. Handloom has its limitation of production and the cost, which is meant to be high. Power loom reduces the cost and enhances the efficiency of the production.”
The fabric Khadi, now 100-years-old, has taken decades to become a global fashion statement. Does Singhania think that age-old things just like Khadi should be given equal exposure? And that there is a need to revive them as well to make them recognise globally? He says, “Khadi is something you need to experience first. Once people start wearing and experimenting, they understand the difference between Khadi and other products. Brands have started promoting it very well. It was earlier majorly done by our government only, which never had a proper channel to manage it. Khadi has been brought into highlight through better branding. Indian government is not great at branding and marketing the products, it is always done better by private companies. Of course, other things should be given an equal exposure. And I think, the topic must be inculcated in the syllabus of school children.”
Comprising opulent whites and enigmatic gold threads, each saree in his collection has been woven painstakingly over a labourious period of over eight months to match the unparalleled beauty of his muses. “We have used different types of silk like Assam silk, Mulberry silk from Bangalore, Muga silk and Ahinsa silk, its so much in fashion today,” he says.
There exists in nature, a certain type of harmony, beyond the confines of human belief and within those of the spirit. Singhania’s royal Banarasi silk, is assiduously woven with motifs inspired by the sun and the moon, the natural forces upon which life sustains and the society thrives. The motifs embody nature and its interaction with the human race, like an orchestrated symphony of life in the weave. The Kanjeevaram silk sarees that have remained a constant in every closet since the Chola and Pallava dynasty, are also revisited through his collection, celebrating the identity of the fabric with a modern outlook, tapping into its potential without tampering with its ethnicity.
Singhania has worked with 700 handloom weavers belonging to 22 different clusters from areas like Pochampally, Gadwal, Uppada, Kota, Pranpur and others to curate his collection. “We need to fulfill their requirements. We need to teach them how to mend the looms and how to get perfection in their designs with the graphs. I agree, ultimately weaving is done by the weavers. But it’s not like all the 700 weavers would come to the industry daily. It is done at homes. So in the local villages we have master craftsmen and weavers. We coordinate with them and they support the local people there because every local cluster has their local language and culture. So the master craftsmen bridge that gap. It’s a chain. It’s like an organised industry working in a semi-organised pattern,” he says as he chuckles a bit.
Regional weavers are actually keeping the traditional style craft alive from different states. Being a textile conservationist, what does Singhania thinks of how can these weavers from small towns and cities could be given a platform to be recognised in the global forum? “Our efforts lie in creating a sustainable world, wherein our artisans can thrive and are celebrated. This collection is a testament of our efforts and we strive to bring to the fore the sheer talent that our weavers possess. However, small weavers generally know the technique quite well but designers need to help them for latest designs and innovation so that it stays relevant in today’s contemporary world. Without that, it is really difficult as they need help in various things. And things have also got very expensive. Just a weaver to run a handloom, they need an investment of more than Rs 2-3 lakh for one loom. They also need help from master weavers or designers to educate them about innovation, latest colours, designs, patterns and price,” he says.
The designer is determined to promote sustainable fashion, craftsmanship with a commitment to ‘Make in India’ initiative. So what drives his passion for this? “I really love sustainable fashion because the old things goes and the new things comes, it has to move on and it’s not like a polyester but a process. Sustainability was practised from many years and it defines luxury. If it’s not perishable, then it’s plastic,” he says and adds that there are only pre-forms of natural yarns — cotton, silk and woolen. These things are quite skin-friendly and also suit the Indian weather since we sweat a lot, and skin feels more comfortable in cotton or Khadi.
“I really wanted to do something for the textile industry. To revive the textile and give it a global recognition and showcase the Indian heritage globally. You simply cannot find the Indian crafts in other places,” says Singhania.
