We all do have an inkling of how the water tables are depleting in the world. Synthetic non-biodegradable products are clogging landfills and we are on the brink of a severe environmental crisais. But how many of us have taken up the cudgels to do something about it? We mull, we fret, but then we also go about our daily chores like it’s the best of times.
Designer Madhu Jain, though in her own small way, by championing responsible fashion, is harbouring a change. The crafts revivalist and textile conservationist was the only Indian designer to be invited to The Rainforest Fringe Festival in Sarawak, Malaysia, that took place last week. She spoke in the ‘Bamboo that Binds’ segment, taking participants through her journey in developing the bamboo silk ikat textile, and how others could follow suit.
“I have always been fired up to create the next revolutionary innovation in alternative fibres to augment India’s 2,000-year-old textiles legacy. Considering that India is the second largest bamboo producing country, it is a fibre that we need to incorporate in our clothes because it is eco-friendly and 100 percent biodegradable,” says Jain.
Charged by the concepts of sustainable fashion strengthened by the use of natural resources, Jain launched her bamboo silk ikat collection last year amidst much appreciation. Working with the natural fibre since 2002, she has blended it with khadi, silk, cotton as well as chanderi. Known for her ikat weaves, she presented her collection at the Amazon India Fashion Week earlier this year where models walked the ramp in her traditional as well as contemporary bamboo silk ikat creations.
“I will be talking about my journey of developing this textile, the roadblocks faced and the ultimate product I got. It is our responsibility to work with alternative fibres. The amount of cotton needed to make one T-shirt needs a whopping 2,700 litres of water to grow. In comparison, bamboo as a plant grows naturally. We need to incorporate it into our fashion vocabulary,” explains Jain.
At the festival, which is in its second year, the revivalist will be holding a talk, a fashion show, showcasing a film on bamboo silk ikat and taking part in an interactive session. Working mainly with ikat, Jain, who completes 31 years in fashion this year, says, “As an artiste, I like to have visceral connection with my work. That has happened with ikat, as I’m fascinated by the geometry inherent in this extremely complicated ancient weave, and am chuffed by the fact that several countries across Southeast and Central Asia, Central and South America, and Africa are home to this ancient weaving technique, each with its distinctive motifs and patterns.”
Jain’s passion for the weave has led her to blend a variety of traditional ikat motifs from different countries—but woven in India—attaining a cultural confluence that has served to advance this weave. “I have worked with the Adras and Atlas forms of Uzbeki ikat and made it my own by weaving it in Indian colours. I have used the Thai Mandala design in my weaves, interlacing it with an Indian sensibility. From Indonesia, I have borrowed traditional motifs and incorporated those into my latest bamboo silk ikat creations. It is a first-of-its-kind textile in the world.”
Jain has been contemporising ikat with innovation at both the design intervention and production ends, consciously ensuring a unique character. For Jain, who recently won the Nari Shakti Puraskar, textiles do all the talking. Her bamboo silk ikat textile is aspirational for those who care about the environment. “This unique textile ticks all the right boxes that luxury brands should be seeking to emulate,” says Jain, adding, “It does not deplete the earth’s resources, is biodegradable, UV-protective, and anti-bacterial. It is also a soft and incandescent fabric that is suited for both the punishing summers as well as winters.”