Over the past three months, noted designer Charu Parashar, known for giving khadi a vibrant look, has been busy transforming the coarse fabric into glitzy fashion wear at her factory in Okhla in Delhi. The reason is Charu is having her maiden show in France this Sunday.
The Delhi-based designer, who believes in straight talk just like her garments that are without frills, asserts that she is on a mission to make khadi global and that is why the theme of the collection is “Khadi: The Fabric of Freedom and Harmony”. She is conscious that even though handmade garments are valued as treasure trove by fashionistas in the West, the discerning still have reservations about accepting khadi as a fashion fabric.
Dispelling fears
“I want my all-khadi collection to look trendy for French fashion lovers, who prefer couture over pret. To make it aspirational, I have made garments as customised outfits. I want to dispel their fears about khadi,” says Charu, whose couture collection will be showcased at Nobility for Ability Charity Polo Cup at Chantilly on June 24.
Talking about her process, Charu, who has used khadi silk to convey her ideas, says she draws the print first. “Then it heads to the graphic designer. Once I approve, it goes for colouring. I draw motifs and then my guys refine them and give me three to four options. Then we send them for swatch and then the fabric goes for printing.”
Charu insists the unevenness of khadi would work to her advantage. “Slub is still there but there is sheen as well. We have not treated slub as we wanted to retain originality of fabric. It adds to the look. We did not want to change khadi silk but present it in a way that it looks as good as any other outfit. We have also added this in menswear as we have done a couple of jackets,” says Charu, who feels giving a fillip to Indian heritage at a global level is the need of the hour.
She didn’t want to confuse French fashion lovers with too much traditional work. Nevertheless, the motifs on outfits are very much Indian. “Inspired by Mughal gardens, I have created intricate motifs and have tweaked them to create my own imprint.”
While she has used zari, resham, pearls and feathers, when it comes to silhouettes, Charu has created gowns, capes, tunics and jackets that have global appeal. “This meant that I chose not to go with sari and anarkali because I want to make inroads into European and the U.S. markets.”
Inclusive fashion
Charu’s show seeks to raise funds for the cause of women and differently-abled individuals in India in collaboration with Ability India. “I have joined hands with Piya Bajwa, a cancer survivor and founder for Ability India, as she wants to build a school where empowered education is provided to special kids. Once you segregate them, it becomes problematic.”
The event, which will also support Princess Diya Kumari Foundation , will be a blend of fashion and polo. “French women polo players, who have overcome dyslexia , will walk the ramp,” informs Charu.