Rosie Scott Blog about Women

Once associated with the old and the sedate, shawls are fast losing their aunty-only tag. Using the traditional block printing technique of West Bengal, designer Debarun Mukherjee has used it in varied ways to make shawls, which he describes as chador, cool this winter.

Rather than shrinking them in size so as to make them an attractive option to the capricious youth, Debarun – a specialist in pret– has augmented the length of shawls. Describing how it works for him, Debarun says, “I have increased the length so that the shawl or chador can be draped in no less than 15 different ways. And not just worn with kurtis and jeans. Interestingly, they can also be worn with beautiful ethnic wear like a sari and kurta like a one-side drape or even a dupatta.” So now you don’t have to leave your shawl in the car when moving into an outdoor party.

In Greek drape the shawl is draped around one shoulder and left loose from the same shoulder. “The traditional Greek drape looks very fashionable. In knotted shawl drape, the shawl is draped around the neck and loose knot is tied in front. In shoulder draped knotted shawl the shawl is loosely draped around the shoulder, with a loose knot at the waist line. Wrap around drape is the most common drape of a shawl, mostly for heavy winters. The shawl is taken around your body and draped on the upper part of your body. In hand draped shawl- the shawl is casually taken around the shoulder and one hand to make it look fashionable. In mid knot drape the shawl is draped in a way that the knot falls loose on the waist line,” says the designer. Explaining the rationale of using this traditional form of printing, untouched by modern development in print making, of his home State, the designer says he selected block printing because it is the most famous in this part of the country and as a designer he felt it was necessary to be given a form that makes it a buying option for the young generation which is busy experimenting with Indo-Western clothing.

“At a time when people are going in for digital, we have artisans in Bengal who still work on block printing. It has rough edgy finish; that makes it cool for the young. Moreover, block printing makes shawls look short.”

The unique selling proposition is that these shawls – usually worn over the shoulders or over the head – are unisex so they can be worn by a couple in divergent ways on multiple occasions. So the wearer does not feel uncomfortable that they look too effeminate or masculine. “These are unisex wraps, made of cotton viscose fabric. They do not recognise gender,” says Debarun, an alumnus of the London School of Fashion and Design.

Another advantage is that these shawls can be worn not only outdoors but also indoors like inside a cinema hall or mall as a style statement. Instead of using wool, the designer has gone in for heavy cotton which has been hand woven. The idea was to do something different than the usual Kashmiri shawls, Pashmina, worn mostly when it snows. “We have used heavy cotton to enable the wearer to use it in multiple weather conditions. He/she can wear this kind of shawl when a nice wintry breeze is blowing or it is awfully cold like in Delhi during January.”

'Shawl as a skirt'

Meanwhile, veteran Neeru Kumar – known for creating a new vocabulary in textile design by using indigenous material and traditional technique – is now in the process of showcasing shawls and jackets with age-old Kantha embroidery in a modern way. “This kind of embroidery is not done anymore.

These pieces are timeless and they are in hundred per cent cotton. Kantha embroidery is not about trendiness; it has everything to do with quality of the textiles and the skills of our artisans.”

Since the youth wants to go in for something exceedingly stylish which catches their fancy,

Neeru has made the shawls in a way that they can be draped in different ways. “Shawls can be worn like skirts. Multiple uses of shawls excite the youth to try them. So we have made them look modern with cuts, easy-to-wear with bright colours,” says Neeru, whose pieces would be on display in Nayaab, a three-day exhibition of textiles in the Capital’s The Lodhi.

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