Award-winning textile designer Gaurang Shah honoured the heritage of the nation's textiles by showcasing “long forgotten” embroideries such as Mochi, Parsi Gara, Petit Point and Kasuti, among many others on the runway with his latest collection ‘Gulal’.
It was a housefull for Gaurang, who showcased over 40 ensembles comprising of 30 lehengas and 10 sarees, each a testament to the intricate craftsmanship of India's weaves on day 2 of Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI.
The presentation began with a live music performance by Germany-based medical engineer and singer Hardik Chauhan, who is known to perform Gujarati folk number. He was joined by the models, who did garba.
This was followed by a playful tale of Radha and Krishna's Holi antics by Kathakali dance, which is associated with spirituality. The collection, which took over a year to create featured ghagras and sarees, which according to the designer highlighted the “long forgotten embroideries like Mochi, Parsi Gara, Petit Point and Kasuti, Phulkari, Kutch and Kashmiri.”
“The dynamic designs line up hinted at the glory of yesteryears, the luxuries that are now rare and opulent,” the designer said. The 40 exquisite garments consisted of Jamdani, Jacquard, and Dobby, which are the dynamic weaving techniques used to create textiles in hand charkha Khadi, fine cotton, silk matka, and other natural silks.
Shah described the colour palette as “standing for purity, sincerity, and peace and is worn particularly in the Spring season of Phalgun.” As per the designer: “The weaves are made with virtues of patience and precision that each artisan practices while hand weaving each textile. Their emotions and traits are woven in each line. Each piece of GULAL will be a combination of three different textiles of India.”
