Designer Shravan Kummar with his latest collection.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“Fashion for me is my religion, it is in my blood, nerves and cells of my body,” says Hyderabad-based fashion designer Shravan Kummar, who was recently in Bengaluru to showcase his latest collection.
Titled ‘Banglore to Belgium — tassels, threads and tradition’, the collection that was unveiled at theprelaunch of Indian Craft Brewery (ICB), saw Ilkal embroidery from Karnataka as well as Mata ni Pachedi, a traditional form of textile art from Gujarat and a lot of Banarasi fabrics.
“From the timeless grandeur of Banaras and Karnataka’s Ilkal to the storytelling art of Mata ni Pachedi and Kalamkari, our ethically handwoven fabrics pay homage to centuries of craftsmanship. Each piece is a seamless fusion of tradition and contemporary luxury, crafted to resonate with the modern global aesthetic,” says Shravan.
“These are saris that can be worn on boots and hot pants. My motto is ‘wear a sari, save a weaver’. Even if I fashion a lehenga today, I will make it out of a sari so weavers find work,” he adds.
For Shravan, showcasing his collection at the ICB was symbolic as this collaboration was a seamless blend of two visionaries committed to reviving India’s heritage while embracing innovation. “ICB, with its journey of bringing crafted beers from Belgium to Bengaluru, mirrors the spirit of Yatra.”
Origin story
Shravan, who was to have been a doctor, armed himself with a postgraduate from the London School of Fashion Designing from where he learned colour psychology and fashion psychology, “I returned and wanted to revive that here.”
From his latest collection.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Ever since he started out as a designer in 1996, with his sister Jyothi Jaisooria, Shravan has been an advocate for weavers, which kept coming up throughout our conversation. “I work with as many as 3,800 widows in and around India; we give them the charkha, and they spin khadi for us.”
“Unfortunately in our country, a lot of weavers do not get the compensation they deserve, because there are so many middlemen involved and they end up being exploited,” he says.
Shravan believes that even though the government has been working for the benefit of weavers, a lot more needs to be done. “The government has provided them with accessibility and subsidies, but I believe they have not been properly utilised or promoted.”
He also pointed out that it is the people who should make choices when buying a garment. “If you spend five days weaving a sari and try to sell it for ₹1700 in the market, most buyers would haggle to reduce its price — something they wouldn’t do at a high end retail store in the city.”
Choices galore
For Shravan, the sari is the centerpiece of all his collections. “A sari is the most forgiving garment — from a woman who is nine months pregnant, to a woman who has lost 40 kilograms — it looks good on everyone. Kanjivaram, mangalgiri, gadwal — India is home to more than 900 different types of saris, and there is no dearth to the myriad ways it can be draped.”
Talking about some of the underrated textiles of India, he adds, “There are so many weaves people are not aware of. For instance, there is the Baluchari from the Bishnupur district of West Bengal and the morangfai saris of Assam. Many don’t even know if saris come from Nagaland or the northeastern belt.”
Shravan, who is known for his work in reviving old textiles, shared a tip on how to care for old saris. “Tie up a few pepper pods and cloves in a breathable fabric such as mulmul and place it among your silk saris; it will keep cloth termites away.”
Summing up his journey as a designer over the past 24 years, he says, “I do not think I have honestly done much; there is a lot more to learn on this subject.”
Published – January 07, 2025 12:28 pm IST
