Promises offers simplistic styles and sustainable fashion

Pratima Pandey takes her conviction for eco-friendliness and ethical fashion forward with her latest collection
Promises offers simplistic styles and sustainable fashion

Contemporary Indian elegance with a taste of understated femininity has been the trademark aesthetic of Prama, the label of New Delhi-based designer Pratima Pandey. In Chennai with her post-summer line, Promises, the designer will be available at Collage on June 16 and 17 to meet with her clients. With Promises, the NIFT graduate presents not just a collection, but an embodiment of her own journey. “Design, to me, is very personal. We make promises, and work towards keeping them, and that commitment is what this collection means to me,” says Pratima. Expect variations of classic anarkalis, kurtas and dresses, in both straight-cut as well as A-line silhouettes, resulting in garments that don’t conform to the contours of the body.

Promises is marked by the designer’s pronounced affinity for Indian craftsmanship, which first bloomed during her time as a student. “I worked for the Varanasi Weaver’s Project in Auroville during my Master’s final project in 2008, and was forever changed by the close encounter I had with traditional Indian weavers. It has since been my motive to take Indian textiles forward,” she adds.

Winner of the Grazia Young Fashion Awards in the category of Eco-Friendly Fashion in 2011, the designer has had a longstanding connection with sustainable and ethical fashion. “I’m involved in the process right from the yarn stage, when we commission the eponymous fabric directly from the weavers of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh,” she states. The collection dominated by kora and ecru show that the designer has a fondness for the colour of unbleached yarn, although some dyeing is involved. “The pastels you see in the collection can only be achieved through synthetic dyes, so we use a process that treats pigmented water to make it reusable for gardening,” she adds.

As for detailing, nature-inspired motifs remain the designer’s choice of surface embellishment. “I find gardens to be incredibly peaceful and inspiring. In Promises, floral motifs are hand embroidered over dotted fabric, created using the traditional karwa technique where an extra weft is added during the weaving process,” she states.

Promises is available at Collage, Chennai

Drop by on June 16, 17 between 11am-7pm for a chance to chat with the designer herself.

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