Meghalaya's weavers await designer breaksWeavers and craftsmen in the northeastern state of Meghalaya know the
styles of Ritu Kumar and Sabyasachi Mukherjee well and hope designers
with such a wide reach will help them broaden their work base and
increase their crafts' popularity around the world.
A welcome
change from the fashion extravaganzas in New Delhi and Mumbai, the first
edition of the Shillong Fashion Week, which started here Friday, saw
the presence of local weavers and craftsmen in the audience.
In a way, it seemed to come closer to achieve its aim to promote northeastern designs and fabrics. But it is just the beginning.
Dressed
in bright coloured Khasi attires, the womeb hogged the limelight
vis-a-vis other girls, who chose to be fashion conscious and opted for
western wear.
For Minali Chug, 28, it was her first time at a
fashion week and she dressed in a pink-coloured Khasi outfit for it. She
wanted to get "a true taste of fashion".
Initiated under the
leadership of state Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, SFW is being held at
the North Eastern Hills University (NEHU) convention centre here.
The
event has been organised to promote Shillong as the next fashion hub
for northeast India, to promote national designers in Meghalaya, to
encouraging local designers and enhance their creativity, to promote
tribal textile through ready-to-wear garments and to highlight ethnic
and eco-friendly fabric.
The local weavers hope the aims are met.
"Ritu
Kumar is my favourite designer. Though I have never seen her designs,
but I have heard from tourists that she makes clothes with local fabrics
from different regions," a weaver named Namgug Piyari, told IANS.
"We want these designers to promote right textiles of India rather than running after western designs," added Piyari.
Some
weavers feel the fashion week is a welcome change for the state, which
produces rich fabrics and its local craftsmanship is well-known. They
only hope for due recognition, which they so rightfully deserve.
"Nobody
understands how much effort it takes to work in loom and produce
fabric. We are the ones who give India the best fabrics like the rich
Naga silks and striped fabrics. It takes efforts, but we earn peanuts,"
lamented a weaver named Kamangi Kumar.
"I have heard that many
Indian designers say that they are working days and nights to promote
rich Indian fabrics. If that is so, then why are we not given due
importance? I am hopeful that with this fashion week, people will
finally see us," said Kumari.
None of them opened about the per day income, but one of them humbly said: "We earn as much that we can easily feed our family."
Meghalaya's weavers await designer breaks
