Kolkata, January 7 : The Fashion Design Council of India is back in the City of Joy with a rich, handloom-laden show by local designer Anamika Khanna, held under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles. A celebration of Indian craft and textile, Anamika’s collection of 42 outfits uses indigenous materials like jute and khadi along with silk chanderi and muslin. For the first time, jute has been used for embellishments and to create an entire garment.
The show will be held in the newly-restored, 185-year-old Currency Building in Dalhousie on Monday evening, and will be attended by the Union Textile Minister, Ms Smriti Z Irani, the Textile Secretary, Mr Raghavendra Singh, the Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India, Ms Usha Sharma, and other dignitaries. It is part of the Textile Ministry’s ‘Artisan Speak’ outreach initiative which pays tribute to India’s glorious legacy of handlooms and the people behind them. Today’s exposition follows a stunning fashion show organized by the FDCI at Delhi’s historic Red Fort on Saturday, January 5, 2019. That show was held in the surreal setting of the Sawan Pavilion and Zafar Mahal, and was the first of its kind.
This evening’s exposition is part of the four-day textile bonanza being held by the Ministry in Kolkata, to promote Indian handloom, handicraft, silk and jute. It has been jointly organized by the National Jute Board, the Central Silk Board, Development Commissioner (Handlooms) and Development Commissioner (Handicraft).
Speaking about this evening’s show, FDCI President Sunil Sethi said, “We are delighted to be back in Kolkata with the Textile Ministry, presenting an exposition that showcases materials like jute and silk, and that too at a beautiful location like the Old Currency Building.”