Traditional twist to modern outfits

That Rajasthan has inspired a host of designers to create fashion lines is a known fact, but now the fashion biggies of the country have taken up the mission to encourage young design students from Rajasthan to make the maximum use of their rich legacy, saying that traditional Rajasthani fabrics and crafts have immense potential to be used in contemporary outfits.
On a recent visit to Jaipur, a group of designers addressed a large number of designs students from the city and spurred them to work on traditional art.
Some, like Ragahvendra Rathore and Aneeth Arora have themselves set up an excellent example for young designers by drawing attention towards traditional crafts through contemporary designs. Arora, who belongs to Udaipur has made a name for herself in the national arena by utilising the local dressing style of Rajasthan in her collections. Her modern interpretation of traditional garments is inspired from bundi, ghaghra and angrakha. ���I have always believed in designs that are modern yet rooted in heritage. I make ample use of natural dyes and hand-woven fabrics. I like to use inspirations from those around me like the safa of the milkman or the gamcha of the gardener,��� she says. And while speaking to students, she inspired them by saying, ���One can really make a mark if one���s designs are unique and distinct. A traditional touch to contemporary outfits can make students stand out when everyone else is doing high fashion western garments.���
Raghavendra Rathore who has always been besotted by the legacy of Rajasthan and has put it before an international audience says, ���The state has superb potential and offers the best of opportunities to explore traditional crafts and turn them into contemporary outfits. At a time when everyone is busy copying the west, designers from Jaipur must make a distinct statement by making use of Rajasthani motifs in their creative expressions.���
Designer Namrata Joshipura shares that after interacting with a number of students from design colleges in Jaipur, she found that there is a lot of enthusiasm among youngsters when it comes to using Rajasthani motifs and crafts in modern outfits. ���I told them that they are very lucky that they are doing their course in a city like Jaipur where there is a bounty of nature, art and craft. You have bandhej, appliqu�� work, block printing, mirror work...so much to explore and experiment. But I made it a point to tell them that we need to keep the context of these crafts in mind, become responsible designers, and use them judiciously,��� says Joshipura. Agrees designer Sangeeta Kathiwada who was in the Pink City recently. ���The perception of the western market towards Indian art has changed and there is a fabulous scope to promote the best of Rajasthan abroad. However, nothing disapproving should be done while using a certain linage,��� she says.