By Ishita Shah
Photography:
Courtesy Hutheesing Design Company
The
Durbar Collection of garments by fashion aficionado and royal cultural attaché
Umang Hutheesing holds universal appeal in formal and semi-formal evening
wear...
In
a land enriched by its heritage and inherited knowledge, both royal families
and rural communities are two segments of Indian society that till date
patronize some exclusive practices. With 1200 years of engaging history, the Hutheesing
family is known for its philanthropy in various sectors; touching Indian
lifestyle directly or indirectly. From various community projects to taking the
Indian fashion industry onto a global platform, the Hutheesing Design Company
has been versatile, to say the least.
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“One
does it for the joy of doing it; for the larger vision behind it...” explains
Umang Hutheesing, as he revisits the small steps and the big that have
culminated into his current Durbar
Collection.
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Having
started off as a hi-profile socialite adorning himself in the most authentic
royal outfit for one of New York’s most elite social events, and as a
remarkable textile collector, Hutheesing’s new collection is a fashion
statement that amalgamates Indian royal aesthetics into a contemporary
lifestyle. Exclusively crafted for the elite class, every outfit is a unique
design of royal textures, colours, techniques, materials, comfort and elegance woven
into flowing regal silhouettes; simultaneously highlighting well defined
bodylines.
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Durbar Collection is a more of a philosophy and
an ode to royalty; crafted for the modern Indian, who is a symbol of emancipation,
empowerment and accomplishment. The explicit skill set of artisans from the poshak khanas of the old royal families is
explored to create men and women designer wear that includes kurtas, achkans, sherwanis, chogas, lehngas,
sarees and anarkalis festooned with layers of exquisite gheras, bandis, blouses, odhanas and
dupattas, all richly embellished with traditional motifs.
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Inspired
by the ceremonial dresses of 1911 Delhi Durbar, the costumes are designed using
rich brocades, silks and velvets teamed with delicate chiffons and shimmers;
bringing to life the splendour and sanctity of the bygone era. Intricate
embroidery, karcho work, velvet
cutting, heavy zardosi work, studded
precious stones combine with tonalities of solid hues to appreciatively fuse
the historic with the contemporary.
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Unlike
other design projects, the process behind this extravagant accomplishment lies
in three generations of belief in design and Indian-ness. “I am not fashioned.
I am old-fashioned. I don’t want to create clothes, which are not anchored in
our culture... clothes that come with an expiry date,” concludes Hutheesing.
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when you are involved in making, be it pottery or textiles or any other craft that has a considerable amount of history behind it, then design sometimes plays a subsidiary role to tradition, technique, materials and markets. Thus when you throw pottery as I do, the laws of physics do dictate the forms to a large degree and the way you embellish a piece and fire it are equally subjected to science and tradition, the latter usually having a basis in the former.
ReplyDeleteSo I'd say that revivalist design is present in my work in the form of reviving forms, techniques and processes that have fallen out of favour when industrialisation took over and profits, speed of production and time to market took centre stage. However, handmade products retain their identity and value and so whatever your design, make sure the quality is as high as you can make it, that is the real secret I think.
Posted by Norman Yap, MSDC on Linkedin Group: Design Council in response to IAnD's discussion thread: Is ‘revivalist design’ a revered favourite or a catchy trend?