Designer Rimzim Dadu on changing the tactile experience of materials through innovative cord work

The centuries-old technique of cord work, dates back to the Mughal era. This lesser known craft has seen a comeback in the form of contemporary designs in India. Delhi-based Rimzim Dadu is one of the designers who have been championing and reinventing the traditional work by experimenting with materials like paper, stainless steel wires and silicone to create textiles to innovate with metallic, molten surfaces and sculpted shapes. Her off-beat ensembles have also gained popularity on the circuit and have won favours of the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Karisma Kapoor and Neha Dhupia. Ahead, the designer chats with Vogue about the hard work that goes behind the labour-intensive weaving and the surprising results it yields.  

Where did cord work originate, and how did it come to India?

Historically, traditional cord work in India was used during the Mughal era for making costumes for the royals. Some of these fabrics were also found to be stitched with precious gems. 

How have you used it to create your brand identity?

For me cord work forms the very essence of the brand. We have been using cord work from our very first collection, which was almost 12 years ago. I love exploring new materials, and cords as an element help me re-engineer textiles almost like Lego—where I can disintegrate a material into cords and then use them to bring the textile back together. This changes the original nature of the material and results into something completely different. For example, a material like steel becomes very soft and malleable and the soft chiffon becomes structured and grunge. Re-engineered textiles have now become synonymous with my brand and cords are the building blocks to these textiles.

What are the different kinds of cord work? 

Traditionally there are multiple types of cord work, but we like to experiment and create our own techniques to work with cords in a more contemporary way. In the past we have worked with different kinds of cords ranging from leather, plastic, resham, zari etc. The thickness of the cord depends on what we are trying to achieve with the textiles. Some textiles are more refined and intricate where the cords we pick are extremely fine. Our signature steel wire textile is made with hair-thin wires. The thickness of each cord is 0.45mm—so you can imagine that they are extremely fine. In other cases our signature zari cords or chiffon cords are thicker—since they are used for a more grunge vibe.  

How do you keep challenging yourself to play with the craft?

Reinventing yourself and constantly pushing the boundaries is very important to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry. While cord work is something that is synonymous with the brand, we are constantly looking for fresh ideas and materials to play with. One of the most challenging projects we did was to create the Silicon Jamdani Sari for an exhibition with Devi Art Foundation. We disintegrated long silicon sheets into cords and then wove these silicon cords together to create a Jamdani Sari. Handling and weaving silicon was very challenging as the material has a certain amount of stretch and we had to create special looms and train the artisans accordingly; this took almost two years to make. Exploring new materials, trying to create new textiles while staying true to our brand identity is something that pushes us every day.

What can you tell us about the design aspect?

For me design goes beyond just clothes. The way you communicate your ideas and build an experience is an equal part of design. We lay a lot of emphasis to our show presentations. The idea is to make our shows more interactive and showcase our process. For a recent showcase, we used technology and 3D projections to immerse the audience into our cords and weaves. Our recently-launched flagship store also tries to create a signature Rimzim Dadu experience by playing our long process films, and showcasing our textiles in a more sculptural manner.  

How long does it take to make an outfit?

A lot of times we make our own cords—so that drastically increases the timespan needed to create a garment. For instance, our zari cords first involve using zari yarns to make cords and then using them to create a textile and then eventually a garment. Or our chiffon cords first involve disintegrating a piece of chiffon into strips, then twisting and sewing the strips to create cords and then using these cords to create a textile. The number of steps in the process are manifold and it is  vastly different from buying ready fabrics, and the regular cut and sew process. It can take anything from approximately 80 man hours for a simple piece to about 500 hours for the more intricate ones.  

What are the motifs normally created using cord work?

Traditionally, cord work has been used to create an array of different motifs—floral, geometric, the typical jaal embroidery etc. For one of our collections we used cord work in leather to recreate traditional Patola weave of India. We used leather cords in different colours to recreate this very intricate weave. The leather Patola was also eventually shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of their exhibition called ‘Fabric of India’.

Where are your artisans based? What are some of the challenges they experience?

Our artisans come mostly from the state of Uttar Pradesh—since our studio is located in Noida. There are a lot of challenges that the community faces. Most of the artisans do not want their kids to grow up to do the work they are doing, as they don’t see enough opportunity for skilled handwork in the future. This also means that with time—we won’t have enough skilled artisans in the country, posing a threat to our heritage and craft. As a brand, we try to help in whatever small ways we can but I feel we need a more concentrated response from the industry and government as a whole. Raising minimum wages, mandatory health insurances, improving the basic work environment, opening training centres would go a long way to make this more lucrative for the younger generation to pursue.

Tell us a little about your own journey in fashion

‘My village’ by Rimzim Dadu was started in 2007. In 2014 we decided to drop the ‘my village’ from the name and just stick to Rimzim Dadu. That was the time, the shift to digital had started to become more predominant and I realised that it was important for the nomenclature to be more precise and crisp. The brand still stays the same—the only tweak being the name.  

How has your aesthetic evolved over time?  

I started my label right after graduating, at the age of 21. The essence of the brand right from the very beginning has been about exploring new materials and experimenting with textiles and textures. Over time, it has become more refined and I’ve been able to reach a space where the clothes are experimental and new—age yet commercially viable and user—friendly. I’ve grown as a designer in the last decade, trying to understand the audience, the market and refining my product. This has of course taken time—to establish brand identity synonymous with innovation and experiment and to find a space in between where your product is refined, accessible, functional and statement-making.

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