Taking inspiration from Raja Ravi Varma’s Damayanti, Anju Modi’s latest edit promises interesting silhouettes

Anju Modi’s latest edit, in collaboration with TENCEL, is all about the couturier’s interpretation of Raja Ravi Varma’s favourite muse, the mythical Damayanti
Anju Modi’s Damayanti edit
Anju Modi’s Damayanti edit

Label Anju Modi has always considered itself a custodian of Indian tradition and strived to provide contemporary innovation to old traditions and the label’s success in its endeavours to promote craftsmanship, is clearly apparent in its beautifully crafted creations. A favourite with several celebs including Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Shraddha Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Tabu, Jacqueline Fernandes and Kangana Ranaut — the Delhi-based label is in its 32nd year. We caught up with the couturier to find out more about her latest collection, Damayanti — made in collaboration with TENCEL — which has just hit stores and was recently showcased at the FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week.

Tell us about the new collection, what was it inspired by?
I’ve been a huge admirer of Raja Ravi Varma’s work and have wanted to incorporate his style into my designs for a long time now. It was honestly long overdue. The inspiration for this collection has been Damayanti, whom I believe to be his favourite muse. Her grace and elegance is what intrigued me to take her up as my core inspiration.

How different is this collection from your previous ones?
I would say I have experimented with new textiles this time. We’ve never used fabrics converted from wood pulp (TENCEL) at our atelier before, so, that has been quite a fun process and something very different that I’ve tried my hands at.

Do take us through the colour palette used in this edit?
We’ve tried to keep the whole mood of the story quiet, dreamy and warm, so the collection boasts of vibrant colour combinations. One will see shades of violets, burgundy, pine green etc. It’s soothing to the eyes of the viewer and the textures of the textiles we’ve used compliment the silhouette even more. The shades blend with each other so very well that I’m sure it’s going to be a treat to the eyes!

Silhouettes from <em>Damayanti</em>
Silhouettes from Damayanti
Silhouette from <em>Damayanti</em>
Silhouette from Damayanti
Silhouette from <em>Damayanti</em>
Silhouette from Damayanti
Silhouette from <em>Damayanti</em>
Silhouette from Damayanti
S Jayaraman, <em>Lenzing Group</em>
S Jayaraman, Lenzing Group

That leads us to our next question, what are the fabrics and textiles used in the collection?
In terms of the fabrics we’ve used, the clientele are in for a big surprise! We had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with a brand, TENCEL that has been defining sustainability for decades now. I’m extremely proud to say that together, we have built a collection whose fabrics have been converted from cellulosic fibers, derived from wood chips. It is something unheard of but a necessity for the future.

And what are the silhouettes we can look forward to?
When one sees Damayanti and other ladies wandering around, they’re mostly seen in beautiful silken drapes. Those drapes play a huge role in making them seem graceful as a swan, while they’re walking. It’s also the clothes that add to the beauty of the paintings. We’ve played around quite a bit with the texture on the skirts. There are beautiful two piece sari sets and drapes etc. So, we haven’t tried to diverge too much from our muse and have kept alive the essence of the artist’s body of work.

Finally, have you already started working on your next edit?
There’s our SS ’23 collection that we’ve started working on. Since it’s still in its initial stages, I won’t be able to give too many spoilers and take away the excitement. However, I would love for everyone to know that it’s going to be a comfortable, light weight collection — since that is what our customers have loved. We’ll be celebrating the incoming of a new summer with lots of floral work on handwoven khadi fabrics.

A TENCEL future?
We have seen a good interest in integration of TENCEL fibres for Indian traditional wear in recent years. With that in mind, we saw a good opportunity to work with Anju Modi who has been a trendsetter in this segment. During our initial discussions itself, we were very much impressed by her perspective on enhancing the Indian traditional wear segment. We were equally glad that she saw tremendous value in our fibres for this category. This led to strengthening the collaboration. We will continue to collaborate with likeminded designers, brands and retailers who share our ideology of making sustainable fashion more mainstream and easily available. We have seen the demand grow in India for this category and our focus will be towards the domestic market. We have seen a very positive adoption of our products by numerous emerging young labels which focus on sustainability as the core offering of their labels — S Jayaraman, Lenzing Group

INR 50,000 onwards. Available online.
romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal

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