Post news network
Bhubaneswar: Pankaja Sethi has been creating ripples at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in Mumbai with her collection of handloom textiles woven by Adivasi men and women from Orissa.
Fashion designers Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahilwani, Anita Dongre and Rajesh Pratap Singh showcased their collections at the five-day show. Celebrities and film stars walked the ramp as part of the show.
Pankaja Sethi, a post-graduate from NIFT, New Delhi, presented an adivasi design with silhouetted sketches representing rural Orissa through her brand name Pankaja. In her show, she presented Orissa’s traditionally woven textiles. The models, attired in saris having organic natural dyes and easy to breath blouses, walked the ramp.
This apart, simple embroideries depicting fish and dragonflies, in addition to fish motifs were displayed in the weaves which added a delicate touch to the rustic textiles. The models wore ethnic jewellery and walked with tattooed facial markings to create an overall look that paid homage to Orissa’s adivasi traditions while remaining innovative and modern.
The theme of the LFW was ‘sustainable fashion’ with brands that use handloom textiles, natural dyes, traditional production methods, and other environment friendly designs and production processes.
Talking to Orissa POST Pankaja said she had designed contemporary saris crafted from handloom which are created from natural fabrics and organic matter. The fabrics were designed by Orissa artists of Nuapatna, Koraput and Goplapur. “In my designs, I’ve tried to showcase Orissa’s rich culture. I have drawn my inspiration from natural environment and human relationship with nature,’’ she adds.
Recently, London designers Sweta Parekh showcased her ‘Pattachitra’ styled designs with peacock feathers at the third season of India Fashion Week. Actor Prachi Desai had walked the ramp.
