Digital Take on Pichwai & Jewellery of Indonesian Archipelago - A Fabriclore Exclusive

The ancient will always behold endless treasures; as the news comes in, it often replaces the past, making us lose our grip on the age-old treasures. But sometimes the new and the old come together to form a beautiful amalgamation which retains the earthiness of the past yet appeals to the modern sensibilities.
This is exactly what Fabriclore and designer Mahima’s collaboration is all about. This exclusive collection narrates stories from our age-old tradition however; it does it through the contemporary technique of digital printing. The Indian culture boasts of a unique relationship between the material and the spiritual world, it is almost like each one world seamlessly blends into the other. The collection intends to capture this very fluidity by choosing to narrate the leelas of Krishna in a very subtle yet astounding way. The collection speaks of a certain level of fluidity and subtlety which is a representation of how spirituality forms a part of our everyday life without even having us realise it.

Inspiration

This collection from Fabriclore is not just about putting on canvas certain motifs and symbols. Rather it aims at expressing spiritual thoughts, emotions, and convictions. The collection is deeply inspired by nature and persuades us to look at a singular object or phenomenon through multiple perspectives. The usage of floral motifs or designs depicting branches, leaves and trees bears evidence to the fact that how there are endless possibilities and ways of putting thoughts & convictions to a canvas.

Putting Ideas to Canvas-The Process

The entire process of digitally creating a design and putting it on fabric is a time-consuming process, making each such piece can take up to a week. As tedious the process is, the end result makes the entire process fulfilling and worthwhile.
Coming to the actual process of making these sarees, designer Mahima states-“I start from a black canvas on the computer and try using elements to give shape and texture to my graphics. Since each designer’s imagination is unique, I try to tap into my individuality by drawing what I see when I envision something. Also, I like to gather photographs of a variety of things from nature and try and merge them into one design or composition. I reflect on things that attract me as a designer and it is sure to elicit strong emotions in me that I can draw on for ideas. To be more precise I use elements in nature to create a design that evokes the emotions I associate with. As a designer, I always believe -“LET YOUR IMAGINATION REALLY TAKE THE REINS”
This entire process brings together two different worlds of technical expertise and artistic creativity to create something aesthetic and out of the box.

Putting the miracles of Krishna on sarees- Pichwai

The theme for the designs on sarees is Pichwai. Hailing from the land of colours and sand-Rajasthan, Pichwai is devotional pictures found on cloth or paper which portray Lord Krishna. Apart from its artistic appeal, the uniqueness of this art form is that it was meant to narrate tales of Krishna to the illiterate.

The word Pichwai stands for hanging at the back (Sanskrit word "Pichh" means back and "wais" means hanging). Pichwai paintings are big-sized paintings done on cotton cloth using natural colours and are hung behind the idol of Lord Shrinath Ji to depict his leelas. Srinathji in Pichwais is a seven-year-old child, depicted in most frames typically bedecked in jewellery and lotus mala in frames bordered with shaded lotus flowers and cows often painted brightly. Lotus flowers, peacocks and cows give each painting a typical Pichwai flavour as scenes from Krishna’s life unfold.
Now while there is an array of art forms which depict the leelas of Lord of Krishna, Pichwai is one of the most beautiful and oldest of them all, going to back to over 400 years.

The collection aims at bringing to life this very ancient art form. However, the beauty of this collection lies in the fact that even while depicting something as traditional as the miracles of Lord Krishna, it has done it in a way that will appeal to contemporary sensibilities and aesthetics. There has been a cautious attempt to represent the art form in an extremely westernized and modern way making these sarees as appropriate for a get-together as it is for work. The subtle designs which still resonate the earthiness of Indian art and craft make these sarees a must-have.
The Bemberg Silk scarves of this collection have been inspired by two different yet somewhat similar sources. The first inspiration is the Gold jewellery of Indonesian Archipelago. The unique aspect of Indonesian jewellery is its unique shapes inspired by human beings and nature. The collection is an ode to the extraordinary and ancient legacy of the gold jewellery manufactured and worn by the diverse groups of the outer islands of the Indonesian archipelago. Each tribe brings its own individual style, imagination, designs and motifs to the crafting of these pieces. When such a rich form of art is put on fabric the result is a statement piece of accessory that can change the entire look of the outfit. This collection is especially meant for the loud and proud. For the ones who are bold and fully embrace their quirkiness.

The second source of inspiration is equally extravagant and “out-there”. The theme for the second set of scarves is “splash of colours”. This collection is meant to reflect the different emotions through an array of hues. The mind-set behind the scarves collection is to reflect the desire to face the future with empowering colours that provide confidence and spirit, colours that are uplifting, joyful hues that lend themselves to playful expressionism and take us down a path of creative and unexpected combinations.

The entire collection is truly a reflection of how the old and the new world need not always be at loggerheads. How they can both come together to create something that is so pure and so beautiful. The collection is also a perfect balance of extravagance and fineness. The sublime colours and prints of the sarees are perfectly balanced by the vibrancy of the scarves. If you are looking for something that not only stands out in the crowd but also pleases your sense of aesthetics, then this designer collection from Fabriclore is the answer to all your desires. Explore our exclusive variety of Designer Viscose Sarees & Bamber Silk Stoles and Scarves. 

Location Courtesy: http://www.theweddingstore.in/
 Authored by: Sreetama Chakraborty