Celebration of heritage

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Unlike many others, she is a swadeshi at heart and loves talking about Indian motifs, designs and textiles in her collections. Hailing from one of Delhi’s oldest business families, fashion designer Madhu Jain is known for her contribution to revival of Indian textiles. We caught up with the designer, who recently showcased “Rare Retrospective”, a textile journey of the designer at Ogaan, Hauz Khas Village.
“I have always felt the need to give Indian crafts a right kind of platform in the high-end market. Be it the specially woven fabrics including the ikats from Andhra Pradesh or Orissa combined skillfully with kantha embroidery of West Bengal, or the fine Dhaka muslin that finds its way in most of my works. The best representation of whole collection so far, is what we decided to display as a part of this rare retrospective exhibition,” shares Jain.
She adds, “I want to make an effort to talk about Indian crafts and textiles before they fade away. Hence, this exhibition is aimed to create awareness among consumers of high fashion to take a serious look and help in promoting our traditional arts and crafts — be it the beauty of gota-patti, intricacy and the royalty of kalamkari or the richness of nakshikantha.”
The designer had the opportunity of adorning celebs like Rani Mukerji, Waheeda Rehman, Nita Ambani and Vandana Luthra among others with her precious designs. “When I started there was no fashion industry, but it has evolved over years. The fashion sense of people has grown and youngsters have become more conscious of what they wear,” shares Jain, who is about to complete 26 years in the fashion industry.
“We need more young designers, who can blend sensibilities, cultures and help in promoting the richness of our indigenous textiles,” feels Jain.
Expressing her views on why handloom-based clothes are unable to compete with their counterparts? “Handloom-based clothes are not sheer and gaudy like the other synthetic fabrics that are available in the markets these days. But given the exquisite block prints and the hand painted designs, kalamkari is gradually becoming popular with the classes, masses and the designers,” she concludes.