Bengali Raw Mango drapes here
View(s):Raw Mango’s Sooti Collection, elaborating the glorious heritage of delicate shiny complex cotton weaves will be on display at the Rithithi Alfred House Gardens Store on December 18 and 19.
The collection, by founder and designer of the Raw Mango label, Sanjay Garg is inspired by the indigenous Jamdani craft which had its roots during the height of the Mughal empire.
Garg, who will be in Colombo for the exhibition, has exhibited at Rithihi before to overwhelming response and is keen on observing the reaction to this collection.
“The challenge is to see whether the sarees are bought because it’s Raw Mango as the brand or whether the ladies who purchase it actually wear it and enjoy wearing it because it fits in with their style.”
The Sooti Collection narrates the story of these sarees which were made for local wear and even the word Jamdani, has Persian origins, emerging from the word ‘jama’, which is Bengali for dress.
Adding a touch of the contemporary to this most popular saree in the Bengali region, the discontinuous extra weft patterning in plied or thick cotton yarn, makes the motifs surface over a translucent body. Floral, geometric or abstract motifs are dispersed all over the body diagonally, on plain unbleached backgrounds.
Garg’s designs have traversed the globe from rural villages in Rajasthan to a permanent display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. A perfectionist who sees beauty in imperfection, Garg says, “I never forget the utilitarian feature in a saree.
Craft doesn’t simply mean that someone purchases it for its decorative value or sentiment or tradition. It has to be used and worn to connect with and enjoyed in doing so.”
He believes that tradition needs to be lived and not bound by genre. “It is constantly evolving and the question I have for myself is, what is my contribution to tradition? Am I helping that process of evolution, making it contemporary so that tradition becomes a definite part of our times?
If my sarees are worn because they are contemporary and someone believes it embellishes their style and beauty, then I’m helping tradition to live and evolve.”
Inspired by culture and history, Raw Mango was founded to combine two simple elements; the raw talent of young designers, (he doesn’t use master craftsmen) and the signature paisley design known as amba or kairi meaning mango, which is used extensively in handwoven textiles across India by weaving communities.
A textile design graduate from New Delhi’s National Institute of Fashion Technology, Garg reinvents India’s traditional handwoven fabrics. “I’ve always gravitated towards beauty, especially things made by hand,” he says.