Ritu Kumar to popularise hand-woven textiles

New Delhi - She is known for her ethnic Indian designs and now celebrated designer Ritu Kumar wants to popularise hand-woven textiles in vogue through her Panchvastra collection. She says this will clear the notion that people have lost interest in such fabrics.

She unveiled the collection Thursday at a show also called Panchvastra, which revolved around five main characters -- Ganga, Draupadi, Kunti, Amba and Gandhari -- who represent five different moods.

“The whole idea was conceptualised by my son Amrish Kumar and Vidyun Singh. The main idea was to recreate vintage clothing with a modern twist to keep alive the essence of the hand-weaving technique," Kumar told IANS.

Portrayed through the central characters of the Ramayana, the show mixed textiles, theatre and film to bring alive how they are relevant across ages and cultures," she added.

Dancer Anita Ratnam represented Ganga, Dia walked the ramp as Draupadi, Kirron Kher was Kunti, Seema Biswas was Amba and Sushmita Sen portrayed Gandhari.

The collection was a mix of lehangas, kurtis, suits and saris in chanderi, cotton and tie & dye.

“It was delicate and feminine, with a vibrant colour palate comprising strong hues and bright, bold shades. The use of mirror work, along with gota and zardosi embroidery lent a regal look to the ensemble."

Kumar presented five moods in different colours -- purity in hues of white and peach; seduction with bold and rich colours; illusion by the exquisite use of Swarovski crystals, embellishments as well as extravagant garments; exile through a melange of colour -- orange, gold and fuschia; and darkness by beautiful dramatic pieces in black, gold and indigo.

Though Kumar is known for her fascination for hand-woven textiles, she says other designers do not use it by choice.

“I think it's a very personal choice that designers don't want to go for hand-woven textiles. For them, synthetic is very important to cater to the modern world but my ideologies are different and I never promote such fabrics,” she explained.