Coping with today's fast-paced lifestyle

Updated on: Monday, June 14, 2010

It was a ‘traditional' victory for K.R. Kavishaa Sri, a Bachelor of Design in Textiles from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai. She has bagged the “Most Creative Design Collection of the Year” award (an annual award given by NIFT to a student graduating from the college) with her collection of 14 saris.

This Coimbatore girl says that while her friends opted to work with home furnishers and apparel designers, she wanted to do something out of the ordinary. After a long search and discussion with the faculty members and seniors, she chose to work with the 62-year-old Alangombu Thevangu weaving cluster from Sirumugai.

Kavishaa had to come up with three collections for her final project. Her first collection included five intricately woven jute-silk Jacquard saris. The second had five saris by the pension scheme weavers and the third comprised four saris created by recycling and printing on old saris discarded by the cluster. She had also made stoles and clutch bags with the left over silk.

“I came up with ideas in such a way that the materials could be used to the fullest and I showed the cluster how well jute could blend with silk. They are utilising the techniques now and I feel happy for it,” says Kavishaa.

The jute-silk collection was showcased on the ramp for the end-of-term fashion show. It had taken about six months for Kavishaa to complete her collection.

Her interest in designing started right from when she was in school. The nature walks that they went every day during the last hour in school are still green in her memory as they were the inspiration for her paintings.

‘If I had my way, I would have been satisfied with painting on random medium”, says Kavishaa. But she was advised to channelise her talents to enable her make a career out of them.

Fashion technology inspired her even more as there were no theory exams but presentations in front of internal and external juries that were quite challenging and different from the other courses.

Kavishaa is currently working with Crocodile International, Coimbatore, on men's apparel, toning down haute couture into street-wear to suit Indian markets. She plans to pursue her Master's provided she gets to specialise in textile designing again. She is looking to gain experience before she can branch off on her own.

Her ultimate dream is to have her own label.

PRIYANKA VICTOR,

ANJANA ANAND

Coping with today's fast-paced lifestyle

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