Indian crafts more relevant than luxury promoted by international brands

New Delhi: Designer David Abraham of brand Abraham & Thakore (A&T), whose designs have been acquired by Victoria & Albert Museum in London for its permanent collection, says focussing on Indian traditional craft and weaves is "more relevant" than relying on luxury as propagated by several international brands to sell overpriced handbags.

"I think the Indian fashion industry, particularly at the designer level, has done a lot to bring attention to traditional craft. The concept of luxury in India involves some of the highest level of craft which the Indian consumer understands. This is far more relevant than the luxury which is promoted by international brands to sell over priced handbags," David said.

A&T, known for fashion and accessories as well as textile products for home, was initially established by David and Rakesh Thakore, graduates of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. They were later joined by Kevin Nigli, a design graduate of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi.

In late 2002, the first A&T shop was opened here, and there has been no looking back since then. Their fashion and home textile collections were part of prestigious trade salons in Paris, namely Tranoi and Scenes D'Interieur at Maison & Objet.

The designers presented their vision about modern styles and sensibilities of contemporary India through 'India Modern' theme of the grand finale for the Amazon India Fashion Week-Autumn Winter 2016 here on Sunday.

Other participating designers were: Rajesh Pratap Singh, Samant Chauhan, Rahul Mishra, Anju Modi, Aneeth Arora, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, Amit Aggarwal, Pankaj and Nidhi. They presented five to six ensembles each using new age interpretations of India design elements and textiles, silhouettes and craftsmanship in tones of indigo blues, earthy hues and white.

Talking about the concept, David said: "The finale revolved around India and 'Make in India'. Both concepts sum up what A&T has been all about ever since we launched our collection many years ago in London."

For the finale, they took inspiration from the "kedia jackets of Rajasthan and Gujarat that are worn by shepherds".

"We are modernising the silhouette and teaming it with different separates to create a modern way of wearing a traditional garment," he said.