‘Fashion reflects history’
‘Fashion reflects history’
The book looks like it is a labour of love. Have you been planning for a long time to put it together?
I wish that every designer in India, whichever state they came from, did a book like I have done. This is such a legacy to leave behind. I wish Rohit Bal would do one on Kashmir and Sabyasachi does it on Kolkata and Bengal. They are capable of doing it. We need to create these histories of ourselves. Fashion is a reflection of history in the end.
The Kunbi sari and its revival is an important section in the book. What attracted you to this weave?
Any other weaves that you are working to revive right now?
Not really. But I am interested in Goan jewellery, and would really like to get together a group of goldsmith artisans who know how to make old Goan-Konkan-style jewellery. I would love to bring back the old-style combs, bangles. In fact, I have quite a collection of old gold from Goa now, and I want goldsmiths to be able to revive these styles.
In the book, you indicate that in spite of influences from so many cultures and communities—the Muslims, Chinese, Portuguese—Goans have managed to retain some parts of their Hindu legacy. How?
That was the biggest surprising point for me too. What I respect most about Goan people is that in spite of the Inquisition, they retained what was important to them. Look at the Goan bride: She may be dressed in a white bridal gown but is most likely to wear red bridal bangles always to church. Two beautiful things happened in Goa—one, the colonizers, who could not survive in this humid, hot weather in velvets, had to pick up some of our clothing habits. Ironically, there were some aspects of their clothing that we liked: their waistcoats, their shoes, which were more comfortable. Second, what was truly remarkable was that despite all these interferences, so many rigours of the Inquisition, Goans still retained that wonderful Hindu legacy and learnt to mix the old with the new. That is the real strength of Goan culture. So Goa actually does become the birthplace of the first Indo-Western garments, and it happened 450 years ago here.
seema.c@livemint.com
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