Design Aspires To Inspire
Quoting Yuniya Kawamura “Fashion is belief that’s manifested through clothing”. Fashion is a phenomenon and clothing is just a medium through which we express that philosophy. While I was studying Heritage we were introduced to Intangible Cultural Heritage which I was baffled by. Any historical object beyond its physicality has a story, something that the naked eye can’t see or feel. Often when we walk into Museums and Art Galleries we are warned by signages and guides to not touch anything, making us heavily rely on our visual consumption to engage with objects and I think clothing falls under a similar trap.
Until I see my mother shop for fabrics in the textile market, smelling and feeling the texture of the fabrics, paying emphasis on the touch of it rather than the design or pattern.
Adalaj Stepwell, Ahmedabad - 2023
There were sincere efforts from my friends who often spoke about hand-printed sarees which influenced me to get one as well. I bought this indigo saree from a local artisanal brand in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. Cotton sarees became a staple for me when I saw Vidya Sinha rocking a few in Basu Chatterjee’s films. They were comfortable, elegant, and had a sense of familiarity.
Before taking a trip to Ahmedabad my views on Brutalism were nonexistent. The stagnant color of the structures made me dislike them even more until I spotted a few in the city. The awareness around Architecture and Design is immense in Ahmedabad which I realized when I had a chat about B V Doshi with our rickshaw driver. We were headed for shopping as there is a weekly market in Ahmedabad on Sundays. Gujarat is a hub for textiles which were in abundance and were accompanied by my broken Gujarati bargaining skills. Aa Ketlanu Che Bhai? (How much does this cost) soon I would begin to sound like a South Bombay chick who couldn’t utter a word in regional languages making everything sound English.
Sarees on Sale from the Sunday Market
While we walked ahead I spotted two structures in the middle of the chowk. At one end there was a Prembhai Hall, a brutalist theatre. I never thought there could be a brutalist theatre little did I know, the art circles loved Brutalism as a design movement as it celebrated the sheer effort of being highly expressive.
Like Delhi, even Ahmedabad has yellow and green rickshaws giving me flashbacks of struggling to find one. The theater, a post-Corbusian Brutalist structure, features a spacious sky terrace offering breathtaking views of its vibrant, historic surroundings. Since its closure in 1997, the building now stands as an empty shell, its once dynamic presence fading into memory. At the other end I spotted Teen Darwaza is one of the oldest gateways in the city, if you roam around by road you will often spot a few on your way. Ahmedabad gets its name from Ahmed Shah who also was the founder of the city. It is said that King Jahangir would frequent Teen Darwaza to watch processions heading to Jama Masjid. According to legend, when the Goddess Lakshmi was about to leave the city, a guard named Khawaja Siddique Kotwal at Teen Darwaza convinced her to stay until he informed Emperor Ahmed Shah. To ensure she never left, the guard beheaded himself before meeting the king, securing her presence in the city forever. There are many local legends related to this gateway which often would be quoted by the shopkeepers.
The beauty of the marketplace lies in the distance between two monuments, each from a different era, telling distinct stories yet connecting people. It bridges the past, blending two historical periods into a contemporary space that offers both relativity and identity. This urban design is not unique and rare but also stands as a symbol of democracy. After this trip, my interest in Brutalism increased and I started reading about it too. India may not have most number of brutalist structures but the movement surely left an ever-lasting impact here.
Brutalist architecture meets Indian design in Ahmedabad villa
Giving homage to my keen interest in the movement I decided to create an outfit that was inspired by my love-and-hate relationship with it. Admiration for the concrete color palette which I disliked the most was my reference. I turned 23 in September and gave an ode to my research and interest in modernism through my outfit.
I bought the camisole from a thrift store in Colaba, the owner of the store plays a 2015 playlist of pop songs which often offers nothing but nostalgia and the skirt was from New Me Asia which I didn’t have a great experience with. Most of the people thought it was a dress which I got the idea of. I have lived by the most functional phenomenon fashion being one of them. I have left all the LBDs in my closet and given myself a fresh start as I move towards my mid-20s, I often feel lost as I grow older but chunks of creativity save the day and allow me to feel like home on days I need it the most.