Apparel April 2019 Apparel April 2019 issue | Page 79

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
five minutes selecting a garment, in that short
span you slow down to experience the feel of
the cloth on the skin and the drape of the attire.
This is exactly what we miss in the age of digital
marketing. For this reason, Maku apparel is only
available in stores and not online. Maku does not
wish to preach, but willingly engage. The fabric
and garments can almost talk to you.”
DESIGNER-ARTISAN COLLABORATION
Rather than taking on the role of a designer
who gives specifications of yarn, colour, motif,
pattern, fabric construction and more to a weaver,
Santanu prefers to collaborate with weavers.
Indigo dye is obtained from Tamil Nadu, and yarn
is dyed in workshops and used by weavers to
weave after discussing each design thoroughly in
a proactive, collaborative way.
“If a weaver has been working in a certain
way… say, holding a particular tool in the left
hand, there is a reason for it. A designer needs to
understand and respect the evolution of a craft. If
we wish to create new motifs, we need to discuss
the same with the weaver. If a weaver family has
been weaving a particular flower for generations
and we ask him to weave Mickey Mouse, he may
print the motif on the warp and blindly weave it
and 20 years later he may forget his craft. This is
not the solution.”
He elaborates that designers need to
engage weavers in a dialogue to understand
the technique, the weaver’s approach and
environment rather than send orders from air-
conditioned studios. “We need to enrich their
worlds, to open their minds to the possibilities
of their craft, and gently push them to work with
their tools and techniques to explore their craft.
We need to understand that weaving is not
printing. One can print any motif, yet any motif
cannot be woven. Fashion is not design, but
an industry. We can use it to make a sensible
contribution to the artisan community, to the
apparel industry and market, and not just to
sell garments.”
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April 2019
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