These special garments can lift your mood!

Vadodara: Are you struggling to overcome anxiety and stress or trying to heal yourself from an emotional trauma? Well, here is a collection of apparel that will help you lift your mood. Graduating students of textile and apparel design at M S University’s Institute of Fashion Technology (IFT) have come out with a collection — Enkrateia — that focuses on providing hope to people suffering from mental health issues.Interestingly, the new range of garments is also sustainable, eco-friendly and uses the 400-year-old Rogan art of Kutch that has created a niche for itself by winning international admirers. “This collection is a homage to the power of hope. Whether we realize it or not, what we wear can have a profound effect on our mental health. From boosting self-esteem to reducing anxiety, fashion has the power to change how we feel inside out. What we wear can change our moods and our overall wellbeing,” said Rinku Agrawal, temporary assistant professor at the textile and apparel design programme of IFT, a part of MSU’s Faculty of Family and Community Science. Mentored by her, three budding designers — Maitree Chudgar, Mishwa Solanki and Pearl Patel, have used the process of healing showcased on the garments using different surface ornamentation techniques like embroidery and fabric painting. “Different positive quotes like ‘You are enough, just let it go’ are written on the clothes using embroidery along with the trippiness that has been created using Rogan art,” she said. To use Rogan art in more contemporary and modern way, the designers collaborated with national awardee Rogan artist from Kutch’s Nirona village Jabbar Arab Khatri whose father Abdulgafur Khatri is credited for single-handedly reviving the ancient art form. “For providing a modern touch, the focus was on the line and dot work of the art. The psychedelic or trippy motifs were made with only lines,” said Agrawal.The Indian traditional craft of Rogan that involves usage of natural colouring pigments and ingredients like castor oil was not just meant to promote the beautiful craft amongst the youth but also to make environment friendly garments. “To keep the collection economical as well, we went for simple designs of the Rogan art, which not only made it stand out but also made the garments less costly for the consumers,” she said, adding that while a traditional Rogan garment comes at the cost anywhere in the range of Rs 40,000 to Rs 1.50 lakh, the garments with boxy silhouettes come in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000.As designers, the challenge was also to make the collection more sustainable. For this, the team ensured that the designs of the collection created less or minimum fabric wastage in the production stage. “We are now taking this collection on international forums so that the garments can provide employment opportunities to women, who are involved in handwork or embroidery for the quotes written on the garments,” she said.
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