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Knit's a hit
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Fusion fabrics and value additions like sequins and embroidery enthralled buyers at the India Knit Fair, writes SUBHA J RAO
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THINK of the comfort of cotton and the sensuousness of chiffon. Put the two together. What you get is a wonderful mélange that looks great and feels comfortable. Now, add a dash of colour and embellish it with sequins. This is what foreign buyers are lapping up from good ole' Tirupur.
Sequins made their entry into Tirupur's creations some years ago, but their presence on a garment was miniscule. Just a dash of gold here and a tiny motif there. Now, they have graduated into full-fledged designs, almost taking over the place once held by embroidery.
At the 19th edition of
the India Knit Fair at Tirupur featuring the Autumn/Winter/Mid-summer Collection 2005, this is what foreign buyers got to see.
Since the `Indian' look is in, manufacturers from Rajasthan had come up with innovative ways of using `banian' fabric to lend it global appeal. So you had saffron lungis with brown stripes and matching short kurtas. Besides enhancing the ethnic feel, this particular design managed to keep the audience interest alive for the rest of the show.
Some firms used patchwork in a host of fabrics, each one adding its bit to the final look, to produce vibrant skirts.
Since the show was spread across autumn and mid-summer, manufacturers had used warm fabrics like polar fleece and cotton knit with better count. Autumn wear calls for floral prints. Catering to both segments were cotton-chiffon combos in floral prints. "The basic garment is made of thick knit fabric in a floral print. But, adding a dash of class is the long chiffon sleeves in the same print," a manufacturer from Jaipur says.
Comfort clothing
Loungewear was also showcased this time around and the fabrics used ranged from soft-feel denims to comfy cottons. Appliqué work and sequins found a place here too. "People want even their `relaxed clothing' and night wear to look trendy," says a buyer. Crochet work is also in this year, with many dresses done up with crochet straps.
However, those looking for knits in new colours returned disappointed. No new shades have made their entry. Women's wear continued to be resplendent in white, orange, yellow, blue, lilac and pink while the men had to rest content with their staple colours of red, maroon, black and blue.
An eye-stealer at the Fair was the use of Rajasthani dora work (using bits and pieces of zari from sarees) on knit fabric. In the fashion show, dora work was used on skirts, tops and elegant toupees.
Birla Cellulose, participating in the Fair for the first time, launched `Modal', a new-generation cellulose fibre, said to be more comfortable than cotton. Many felt fabric of this fibre could set a new fashion trend.
The fashion show, put up by Viba, Chennai, was great in terms of themes and stage decoration (dried leaves all over the place, a leafless tree at one end of the ramp, signalling autumn, and another with snowflakes in another). But, in a show like this where comfort is the keyword, it is essential for the models to be themselves and let go. Only some of them did that; the others merely walked the ramp.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
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Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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