Sandeep Sarkar captures Gen Z's mindful fashion choices with Bibriti Chatterjee in Soumodeep Dutta's sustainable creations for Poila Boishakh 2025

This collection is called The Circles of Wisdom, where I have worked with the idea of ‘what goes around, comes around.’ A circle is not just about the shape; it denotes coming back to the same point from where we started. Therefore, all shapes like triangles, squares, and hexagons are imperfect circles. That’s how nature works — in rounds and rounds and rounds. Also, if you look closer, the imperfections in the shape of the circles are very unique, just like our ways and perspectives are. We are not always perfect, and neither are our experiences in life, but they are discernibly different and unique.

Here, we have used block printing techniques to create textures that have an inherent imperfection. What I love about the texture is that it is inadvertent. The imperfections arise organically while hand-printing and during steaming and washing processes, where we do not have control over them most of the time.

The idea behind the collection is to use our age-old, hand-done ways of creating clothes. We try to minimise the dependence on energy and electronic machinery, we weave our saris on hand-looms. We get the prints done in block printing. I quite often get calls from digital printers to try digital printing, but I find it mechanical, predictable, controlled and lacking freedom of creativity. The beauty and happiness that’s derived from handmade things is unmatchable. We have worked with Indian embroideries like kantha, Sindhi kadhai, Kutch embroidery, and mirror work, which are all done by one woman at a time. Though that slows down the process, it becomes rarer and thus more valuable.

Previously, I have worked with blacks and dark shades, while in this collection, I have experimented with bright and happy shades. Also, we have worked with ikats previously, but for this collection, we thought of exploring block printing.

If we go back to the history of textiles, slow fashion was there when fashion started. The industrial revolution ushered in mass production and the use of artificial fabrics, resulting in pollution and environmental hazards. We are now again moving back to where we started. I believe the slower, the better it is. Also, minimal use of electricity and electronic machinery leads to more human employment. Thus, we use handloom and hand block printing and hand embroidery. This increases our production time, but our clients understand and are ready to give us the time that handmade products require.

Drapes, definitely. Also, oversized outfits are here to stay. Bright colours like yellow, electric blue, and red will trend. Also, a mix of textures and hand-crafted techniques like tie-and-dye, shibori, and block prints will rule the scene.

Light handwoven silk saris in bright block colours.

We specialise in kantha and Sindhi kadhai work, thus working on different motifs and colour combinations. Also, in handlooms, we are working on different types of silk on warp and weft. It’s a trial-and-error process before we create something new.

Poila Baisakh is Bengali New Year, and every season, we try to tell a story. This time, I tried talking about the new generation of Bengal rather than the traditions of Bengal. Over time, the Bengalis have evolved a lot, and I tried to capture the new looks created with the same old traditional fabrics and textiles synonymous with Bengali fashion.

I think Bengalis are the most adaptable and flexible community. We have evolved from classics to fads, and follow trends in our own way. The best part of a Bengali’s fashion sense is how deep down they incorporate the inherent Bengali culture, be it through choices of colour, or textiles, or jewellery. And they blend it all so well together. When you say upholding ethnic fashion, no one does it like the Bengalis do it as a race, and that’s most evident in the way they embrace saris in their lives.

There are four different saris, and each of them embodies a specific look — keeping in mind the young generation of Bengal — to inspire them to wear our traditional textiles. So, there’s a white handloom cotton sari for perfect street wear during the daytime, a blue silk sari for any daytime occasion or office events, a discharged block-printed silk for parties or festive occasions and a red polka discharge block print sari worn with a stylish shirt top for cocktail evenings.

It was not a planned move. I designed clothes for a long time, but my passion lay in photography, and I am good with visual art. Studying design helped me to understand the aesthetics of art better. Being a certified designer, it’s easier for me to connect with the story behind any designer’s collection.

When you work with visual format, or any art format, there is no bigger art than cinema. I guess making a film as a director needs the greatest vision. I am lucky enough that I got that chance, and people have already shown their love for my vision. So, I would like to continue and try to make the best of my vision one day.

Moments — we capture nothing but moments. A great photographer is a person who can anticipate the moment before it happens and always presses the trigger at the right time.

Right now, I’m working on the script of my dream project for the big screen. I hope that will work out. There’s also one music video that’s ready to launch. There’s another new music video in the pipeline, which we will shoot this summer.

Opting for clothing according to personal style, occasion and comfort without following any fashion trend blindly.

Saris, especially my mother’s and grandmother’s.

Body contouring and close-fitted ones.

Chunky silver jewelleries to generational gold ones to any statement junky piece, besides minimalistic neck pieces.

For summer, it has to be a pair of shorts and a cool tee.

A white shirt, a pair of blue jeans, gym shorts, lingerie, lots of saris, and a LBD.