A YARN FOR EVERY KIND OF WARDROBE

Textile designers across India are coming out with knitwear collections that are an ode to matriarchs, and gentle on the environment

- Saranya.Chakrapani @timesgroup.com

Sivesha recently passed out of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai. As a new graduate N in a post-pandemic world, she is among the fortunate ones in the fashion business to have her heart and sensibilities naturally rooted in designing for a better world. Well, at least a thought provoked world.

Having studied knitwear design, Nivesha found one of her immediate and possibly milestone works in 'Earth Effect', a collection that breathed modernity into knitted garments, but came alive with values of inclusivity, sustainability and slow fashion. "It's a unisex winterwear collection that centres on the core problems facing the textile industry today," she says.

"We brought in organic cotton to knit, and used buttons made of coconut shells. Our focus was on increasing the longevity of each garment." Across India - including and particularly in the colder parts - knitwear has often translated into deftly created woollens socks, jumpers and gloves - handmade by the mothers and grandmothers of the household. It brings back the nostalgia of this community activity on lazy winter afternoons; women catching up on the day's affairs with each other, soaking the sun from porches and balconies, as their skilled hands knitted away cozy sleepwear and quilts.