The coronavirus pandemic has made us come to terms with the quiet, frugal existence and embrace nature like never before, be it food, fashion or lifestyle choices. And when it comes to clothing, the sustainable and slow fashion movement has steadily picked up momentum in these past few months, with more stress on organic, ethical and green fashion.
This year too, CIMA (Centre of International Modern Art), which stands for all things homegrown, handwoven and handcrafted, is curating its month-long Art in Life exhibition, tiding over all the hindrances posed by COVID situation. We talk to Rakhi Sarkar, the driving force behind one of the most anticipated fashion events of the city, who also helms CIMA, to know how different the exhibition will be this year. Excerpts:
How has Art In Life adapted to the post-pandemic situation?
One of the main things that we did was to create a separate e-commerce site — cimadesign.in. It is replete with all the lifestyle products including clothing, jewellery and home decor items on display for our patrons on an ongoing basis, thereby empowering our weavers throughout the year. Though we are having the physical exhibition at our gallery with all safety measures in place, the online display of the same will let us reach a much wider range of consumers.
What should we expect this year?
We have five city designers displaying their sustainable range of festive offerings including Abhishek Dutta, Sneha Arora, Rimi Nayak, Paromita Banerjee and Parama Ghosh. There will be a range of exotic and gorgeous handcrafted ethnic jewellery in silver and brass by ethnic communities from across the country. Besides, there will be a few handwoven saris by master weavers from Manipur, Odisha, Kutch, Gujarat and remote districts of South India. There’s also Koraput weaves in pure tussar that are light and classy. We also have a whole range of scarves and masks in pure weaves.
Fashion and wellness tips by actor Tuhina Das
Daily skin and hair care regimen
The first thing that I do after waking up is to drink lots of water. I deep cleanse my skin, apply moisturiser and use sunscreen every two hours. At night too I use moisturiser. But I refrain from cosmetic products and stick to whatever my dermatologist prescribes. I have curly hair which is difficult to maintain and requires deep conditioning. I oil it once a week and never leave my hair open. I do not use hair-styling products and since my hair texture is dry I use hair mists and live-in conditioners to lock moisture.
Beauty essentials in your bag
A perfume, lip balm and sunblock cream.
A beauty hack
A little moisturiser on your face, lip balm, lip and cheek tint and mascara can lend you that natural glow. I love the dewy make-up look that’s nude, light and has a shiny glow.
Personal fashion style
For me, comfort is the key, and I love wearing maxi dresses, linen shirts and boyfriend jeans. Cotton is my favourite fabric, and black and white dominate my wardrobe.
Diet and fitness
I am a total fish person. I can live on fish, daal and salad eternally. I eat nonoily food with lots of veggies and fruits in my diet. Recently due to the lockdown, I explored yoga and found it very interesting. It requires no set-up — just a basic mat will do.
Art In Life will be on at CIMA till October 22.
Model: Tuhina Das | Pictures: Siladitya Dutta | Hair and make-up: Abhijit Paul | Styling: Poulami Gupta | Saris and accessories by CIMA | Location courtesy: CIMA Art Gallery
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@sharmidas