Exploring the relationship between man and nature by taking the colours of earth and its acres of brimming fields below and moody hues of the sky above comes Prakriti, a capsule collection by homegrown brand, A Humming Way (AHW). Not just that, it pays homage to the signature fabric of India—khadi. And not just khadi, it also uses other handspun materials to reimagine the fabrics that people in India have been wearing for centuries through experimental, contemporary cuts and silhouettes.
While khadi has been having its moments on the Indian fashion scene off and on, this is probably the first brand to have taken khadi-based fabrics to high profile soirees, glamorous events and the red carpet, revolutionising the way the fabric has been perceived for generations. “I wanted to use khadi and handlooms to create glamorous outfits that are stylish and at par with international designs, and yet sustainable and eco-friendly,” says creative director, Sweta Agrawal, who launched the label some five years ago. “I experimented with my first collection, which was an instant hit, at the Alta Roma runway show in Italy, and now I use khadi for all kinds of silhouettes and designs,” she adds. Little wonder then that Agrawal’s work has been extensively featured in leading fashion publications at home and abroad.
“My international clients love the whole idea of the emergence of khadi fabric, it’s history and cultural relevance. They love the juxtaposition it creates with chic designs, and is truly a unique amalgamation of style and sustainability,” she adds. The bulk of her fabrics come from three villages of generationally skilled handloom weavers in Ahmedabad and Rajasthan and are designed and created at Agrawal’s atelier in Juhu, Mumbai.
For Agrawal, inspiration comes from everyday life. Her biggest influences has been her childhood spent shuttling between Nepal of the 90’s and her ancestral home in Rajasthan and that is the bank of memories she draws inspiration from. She is also heavily influenced by the cultures she witnesses on her travels and believes in the fabrics India and other South Asian countries specialise in. In fact, one of AHW’s prized and best-selling skirts was influenced by the garb of Bhutanese men and women alike.
She places immense value on experimenting with the surface textures of the fabrics themselves for the design elements in her pieces. Her craft is to experiment with their texture and feel to design pieces that wear well on the personalities that straddle today’s social landscape. People who approach what they put on their bodies through an anthropological perspective.
The label releases three collections every year with eco-consciousness in mind. Every collection is a thoughtful rendition of nature. Talking about her Matsutake collection from the recent past, Agrawal says, “We wanted to explore the beauty that is still birthed from man-made decay demonstrated through the characteristics of mushrooms. The collection also served as a further exploration of our upcycled off- cuts from past collections, a central focus in our design language since the beginning.”
“The fashion of now is that people gravitate towards what makes them comfortable, in that they no longer shy away from expressing themselves in ways that they intend,” she says, and that’s exactly what her clothes are all about—casual yet chic, comfortable yet cutting edge.