Shreya
Parasrampuria



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IKAAI


8 Weeks

Project Team 
Aneesha Honda Patnaik
Astha Avinash 

Co-created with appliqué artisan Bhagyashree

Guided by Swasti Singh Ghai at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad | 2019

IKAAI is a collection of gender neutral garments,
co-created with a group of highly skilled women artisans from Juna Vadaj, Ahmedabad using the traditional technique of appliqué.

Following the bottom up approach to develop a model that is sustainable and embedded in the local and social context. All the garments have been made by upcycling found fabrics to address the issue of the immense textile waste generation. It was also an attempt to make the technique of appliqué more relevant to the contemporary lifestyle. 


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Left: Two panelled upper wear with an extended shoulder. The garment is made using minimum stitches, delicately hand appliquéd with waste cutouts. This garment uses inlay and wearing out of mosaics as its key inspiration for the fine hand applique work.




Outerwear with four alternate looks due to its reversibility and style of wearing according to tie ups. Surface is detailed with a grid complementing the print using kantha stitch and appliqué motifs using printed fabrics. WHY MULTI WAY? With the growing trend of fast fashion, a garment like this is an attempt to promote sustainability and longetivity.





Asymmetrical panelled, extended garment, 3/4th sleeves with patched pockets. Appliqué work with printed fabrics along the placket and self applique detail on the sleeves.



Black garment with extended collar and broad sleeves. The collar is meticulously hand appliqued on printed patch base fabric with kantha detail.






MAKING


UPCYCLING

With the current scenario of Textile and garment waste, upcycling is a potentially beneficial activity from environmental, social and economic points of view, as opposed to landfilling. All the material used was sourced from Sunday market, thrift stores and some reject/waste stock procured from an export house in Jaipur. The college community was also encouraged to contribute their old clothes which also led to awareness about the issue.








APPLIQUE and GEOMETRY

Appliqué  as a technique complemented the upcycling process of garments. As garments were made from found fabrics which included old and worn clothes, a little repair here and there was beautifully done using appliqué.The theme of geometry allowed for the possibility of exploring grids by folding and cutting method of appliqué. In the process of co-creation, Bhagyashree's understanding of appliqué is what helped to explore the technique in the best possible way.







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