The eighth edition of the Mountain Echoes Festival this year will see fashion as one of its key themes. Designers from across Bhutan and India will come together to curate collections which intersperse their nation’s textile heritage with contemporary fashion, with an aim to build a common thread between the countries and their shared culture.
Some of the names include Bhutanese designers Chandrika Tamang and Chimmi Choden, and Indian designer duo Abraham and Thakore.
A specially-curated fashion show will see models walk the ramp wearing exquisite weaves designed by Chimmi Choden’s CHIMMI House of Design. The home-grown brand gives the artistic heritage of Bhutan’s weaving culture a modern twist, preserves the country’s unique craft and builds upon it to create contemporary designs.
Fashion designer Chandrika Tamang will also present an exclusive line of outfits from her eco-friendly label CDK. Inspired by Bhutan’s stunning natural surroundings, CDK’s designs combine traditional patterns and weaving methods to create fun, fashionable yet 100% eco-friendly apparels.
Designer duo Abraham & Thakore, will exhibit their contemporary designs and present their interpretation of traditional Indian textiles at the specially curated fashion show. The collection will focus on designs created by the two for the 2016 Rajasthan Heritage Week, jointly organized by Khadi Board, Government of Rajasthan and Prasad Bidapa Associates. Made using hand-spun khadi fabric, the striking clothes reflect an aesthetic inspired by the country’s strong tradition of using earthy fabrics. The collection gives khadi a modern spin and encourages its use as a central fabric for modern designs.
The festival will also see eminent names such as Malika Kashyap, founder of digital publication & creative agency Border & Fall that focuses on India’s craft and Prasad Bidapa, one of India’s leading fashion consultants, join the designers for a session on the global evolution of textiles and design traditions.
The festival will also host a unique exhibition, titled ‘Handmade in Rajasthan’, curated by Prasad Bidapa that will celebrate the indigenous craft forms that give Rajasthan its distinctive identity. The exhibition will present a 360-degree view of Rajasthani textiles and a unique perspective of the designs that have been developed in the state by the local weavers, artisans and craftsmen.
Elaborating on the fashion element of the festival, designer Chandrika Tamang stated that Bhutan and India’s design traditions were closely linked.
“Our shared history has inspired designers across both nations and my collection will be a mix of traditional Bhutanese designs, created using an amalgamation of both Indian and Bhutanese fabrics,” she said.
Designer Chimmi Choden stated that the tradition of weaving was an inherent part of the Bhutanese culture. “For the festival, CHIMMI House of Design has created a collection inspired by traditional textiles, enhanced by timeless silhouettes, straight lines and bold colours. We hope our collection will inspire visitors to the festival to study, understand and appreciate Bhutan’s rich culture and traditions, using fashion as a medium,” she said.
Indian designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore stated that handloom fashion was one of the threads that tied Bhutan and India. “For decades, we have advocated the ethereal beauty of traditional weaves & fabrics and integrated traditional techniques into mainstream Indian fashion,” they said.
Fashion stylist and consultant Prasad Bidapa stated that the festival will also present a carefully curated segment of beautiful clothes which are handmade in Rajasthan.
“From the finesse of the kota doria sari to the robust hand-woven khadi we call our fabric of freedom; from the exquisite precision of our hand-blocked printing to the finesse of our embroidery, this collection is an emphatic tribute to the spinners, weavers, dyers, printers and embellishers of the beautiful state of Rajasthan,” he said.
The Mountain Echoes literary festival is an initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation, in association with India’s leading literary consultancy, Siyahi. The festival will be held from August 25th-27th with an inaugural ceremony on the 24th August in Thimphu, Bhutan.
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