Rajasthan a treasure trove of indigenous art: Shivan & Narresh on their FDCI X LFW collection

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) For this season fluid edition of the FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week, celebrated designers Shivan & Narresh say they have drawn inspiration from the state of Rajasthan that continues to be a source of creativity for many artists.

The eponymous label, founded by Shivan Bhatiya and Narresh Kukreja in 2010, showcased its latest clothing line 'The Fresconian Series' presented by John Jacobs at the ongoing fashion gala on Saturday evening here.

The designers, whose love for travel evolved into their luxury holiday brand, said the striking blend of colours, opulent history and quality craftsmanship capture the bold vastness and depth of the majestic state of Rajasthan.

"Rajasthan has always lived as the heart of India's vibrant culture and splendour and has been a treasure trove of indigenous art and storytelling. Be it the bustling streets, local folklore or the hand-painted musings lacing the walls of its cities – each and every element is symbolic to a renewed amalgamation of the old and new that reflect a sense of both, joy as well as pride, embracing the culture zeitgeist of the current times," Shivan and Narresh told PTI in an interview.

According to the designers, 'The Fresconian Series' is dedicated to the fresco murals of the Shekhawati region in Rajasthan, housing the largest number of frescoes in the world.

"For this collection, we have combined our passion for art and storytelling to design a narrative that has been engraved for generations on the walls of history. Shivan & Narresh has always celebrated the changing perceptions of feminism and femininity and through this series; we once again, dive deeper into questioning and redefining the perception of sensuality and its relation to clothing, in particular," they added.

Shivan and Narresh pointed out that their inspiration for the frescoes stemmed from evolving the art form into a futuristic version of itself - "adding the painterly quality while glorifying lifestyles of today".

"Just how the frescoes documented culture on the Shekhawati walls for generations, we feel that clothing does the same for our times - this is the core value of the Fresconian Series." The label paid homage to the traditional hand-painted aesthetic of these murals by reinterpreting them across five unique prints for the season, namely Surocco (Safari), LedgerMash (Ski), Zoolostamp (Cruise), Solscape (Swim) and Maru (Resort).

"Each print is etched with layers of emotion and identity that fanaticise the relation between skin and silhouette to introduce to the world a renewed perception of sensuality," they said.

For the colour palette, the collection spotlights vivid hues of sweet rose, sea green, lavender, Baltimora, paparazzi (neon), geru, Spezia, etc. to stay true to the diverse tints of the picturesque region.

Conversations around sustainability have always been like an undercurrent in the past decade, the designers said, adding the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years this sentiment has started finding true definition.

"Luxury sits on top of the fashion pyramid and while it is responsible for driving trends it sometimes can also hold a baton for change. This compelled us to introspect our own social responsibility as designers towards the kind of fashion we want to make and thus, work on diminishing excessive wastage at the grass roots level through optimised production and regenerative fashion." In line with this philosophy, Shivan & Narresh said the entire swimwear vertical by their brand is now manufactured from 90 per cent recycled ocean-waste polyester, "which brings us a step closer towards circularity by designing pieces that are not only inspired from the ocean but also created from it".

"The idea is to provide swimwear that is built to last longer and at the same time conserve our natural water resources by minimising the carbon footprint. Another recent design solution on closing the loop is introduction of hand-knitted looms in our factory, which not only support the dying art form of India but also helps in achieving a more sustainable production and supply chain management," the duo added.

The FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week has returned to its fully physical format this year and this time it's happening in New Delhi for the first time.

The designers said they are excited to finally be able to return to the physical fashion weeks after two whole years.

"For any fashion industry, across the world, it is very important to have multiple formats of communicating and engaging with their audience. We live in a democratic phygital (physical as well digital) world today and hence, it becomes even more imperative for designers to have the option of showcasing their work through either of the channels, whatever best suits their business strategy. We think this only reinforces the need for physical showcases and as designers, be able to have the option to choose from either of the platforms to engage multiple demographics with our latest offerings." Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu turned showstopper for the designer duo. The 22-year-old walked the ramp in a red, velvet halter-neck gown.

The fashion gala closes Sunday. PTI RDS RDS RDS