Vernacular crafts are the building blocks of India. They have passed down from one generation to another and still hold their importance in the modern society! One such hand craft is tie and dye. Hailing from the land of garba, Gujarat is the fabric art of tie and dye, practiced in the form of bandhnai and is the modern effect of Shibori! Tie and dye has created a storm in fashion this summer!
We decided to scoop out the details of this summer 2017 fashion trend setter from a Vadodara based designer who beautifully transformed the ancient art into her latest summer collection. Shikha Gupta spoke to one of our editors and gave insights about this art and about how new age fashion is currently trending.
Shikha Gupta is a budding designer who persuaded this creative line. Being an engineering student, the fabrics and the cuts are what appealed to her more! So after a power packed research on this craft, the designer decided to alter her life from machines to mannequin’s. So here is what Sukriti discovered in conversation.
Sukriti: What is Shibori and how is it performed?
Shikha Gupta: Shibori is the Japanese art of tie and dye and is similar to bandhnai. It has gained an enormous market this season! Done within a period of 6-7 days, the tricky part about Shibori is that one needs to pre decide the kind of design they want and then dip the fabric. It’s a series of planned events and a complete mechanical process which gives fabric prints suitable for summer! This is usually does in sync with two colours and done using pastel shades to rock your summer wardrobe.
Sukriti: As a designer what according to you is a summer stress buster outfit for work?
Shikha Gupta: With the temperatures rising, one finds it uncomfortable to work in full shirts and tight skirts! This season, refresh your wardrobe with short Shibori printed collar shirts and culottes or palazzos as they are so called to have a formal yet trendy edge! The collar gives it a sophist aces look whereas the colours add the refreshment to the wardrobe away from the mundane blues and blacks. Long skirts are also comfortable and provide ventilation along with a formal edge.
Sukriti: Tell us a little about how marketing works for new trend setters like you?
Shikha Gupta: Social media marketing is the base for the modern generation! If it’s there on Instagram or Facebook that means it’s in the market! So to capture the local market I usually decide to hire a local fashion blogger who is budding. Get a look book shoot done and float it on Instagram! This not only provides me visibility but also gives the clients a picture about how the outfit looks. Hiring a trending fashion blogger is the essential and the most important investment in our kind of fashion lines.
Sukriti: How are you inspired by Shibori? And why did you choose the same to be the kind of art you begin yourself with as a designer?
Shikha Gupta: Being born and raised in Baroda I have always loved the culture of the city. Vadodara is also known to be the cultural capital of Gujrat and I found it to be immensely inspiring, while perusing my engineering I got inclined to the idea of a mechanic process, it reminded me of my school visit to the bandhnai factory! And hence decided to work with the same. The process is what enthrals me and Shibori was a Japanese craft which was almost similar, hence after research and trial and error, I decided to launch my line with the same! And now I proudly sell my work at multi designer stores in Ahmedabad and Chennai. Just like my career which was a fusion of the rote engineering to the dynamic fashion, Shibori as a craft too broke its boundaries to that of a vernacular wear and a pop Indian wear!
Sukriti: Enough about summer, gives us a heads up about autumnwinter 2017! What is your fashion forecast?
Shikha Gupta: With the current rewind fashion trend, I believe culottes and bomber jackets will still be in trend! Purple is back so I believe gold will be back too! We have seen a lot of metallic silver junk jewellery and I presume 2017 winter will be all bout purple and gold!
Shikha’s new collection is inspired by cuts and drapes this season, a large amount of fusion dresses and fabrics were spotted in her spring and summer collection! She provided team soul with insights to the Shibori handicraft and unveiled her look book for springsummer 2017!
You can always get your outfits designed by this fashionista by instagramming her at: SHIKHASBYSHIKHAGUPTA
Wish you all a fashionably fabulous week ahead!
