What? Jamakkalam in fashion?

The humble jamakkalam plays a stellar role in Rehane's “Summer State of Mind” to be showcased at the
Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

Imagine putting together a stylish collection of body-skimming mini-dresses, shorts and bustiers using the traditional jamakkalam! Vivid colours, energetic stripes and a coarse weave that lends itself to a textured look… well the traditional jamakkalam that's spread out at marriage halls and temples for people to sit on is designer Rehane Yavar Dhala's spur for “Summer State of Mind”, a line paradoxically created for the upcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2011.

At a preview of her collection at Aqua, The Park, the designer who loves flexing some cultural muscle, says the quaint feel of the jamakkalam adds a refreshing touch to modern silhouettes. “It's the vibrancy of the colour schemes and the rough, yet stimulating weave that interest me. Besides, the bold bands of colours are in sync with my Summer State of Mind!”

As four models saunter in, the jamakkalam-in-fashion look unfolds! It's a lighter version of the jamakkalam cut and converted into sexy shorts and chic dresses. However, it's not easy to decode the stellar role played by the humble ‘mat' of yore. What the designer has done is allow it to play peek-a-boo beneath a layer of sheer net enhanced with cutwork. “After the labour-intensive previous lines — ‘Naqshband', ‘Anatolia', ‘Alice in Wonderland', etc. — I was keen on shifting focus to something that's absolutely young and breezy. Although the fashion world is dictated by seasons, I'm not. That explains the contradiction in my title for the Autumn-Winter line. To me, there's an inherent paradox about fashion itself — it's serious business, but it's also creative fun. While perfection and quality are important, I guess staying power comes from a designer's ability to conjure up something original every time. Fashion can be boring if it's quirk-free. I want to leave my fingerprint on whatever I do.” 

While there are no excesses in the jamakkalam line, Rehane says her fluorescent-toned-Kutch-embroidery line is replete with detailing. “I've tried some luminous shades, unheard of in the Kutch embroidery tradition. The newness is primarily in the colour story.” 

To complete the look of her cut-and-colour-driven lines, she has designed a collection of stylish bags. “I love the cowboy look, it's about effortless glamour!” she says displaying simple bags with statement-making tassels. 

Besides diversifying her range with bags, the designer is engaged in designing costumes for a new Hindi serial on UTV Bindaas. “That's fun. The character I design clothes for is quite like me — she loves breaking rules. So it works!”

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