Warrior like Jewelry

As always, my love for jewelry brought me on a trip to Zoya, one of my favorite boutiques in Mumbai that carries amazing clothing and accessories. They carry jewelry from some of my favorite designers like Suhani Pitte. Check out some the pieces from their store.

Embroidery- a one of a kind art form

For everyone who adore and cherish the intricate art of embroidery, there is always an inherent understanding that the shawl/stole/purse or wall hanging that is purchased is most likely the only piece that exists. As I am moving more deeply into my endeavors in the fashion world, I am realizing that all embroidery is a one of a kind art form. Even work like Kantha, which has been used in our collections, is very difficult to replicate. The reason? Most of the women who make this embroidery use it as a form of expression. They like to explore their skills as a means of telling their stories and each artisan is unique in their handicraft.

This creates some problems for us in the fashion world who want to proliferate this art all over the world. Common practice of duplication is not possible and many use innovative methods to generalize designs. One such organization is Qasab in Bhuj. They help develop their artisans by providing signature cushion covers and handbags that are embroidered in variety of ways. On my visit to their office today, I saw all the women busy cutting up embroidery to create a melange of colors for an order of 800 wall hangings. "Embroidery for 800 pieces is almost impossible to execute in a short span of time", says Meenaben, one of the main organizers for the group, " We had to creatively make artwork using existing embroidered fabrics to ensure the order is executed fast". She is one of the few people in Gujarat who has been encouraging artisans to execute domestic and international orders in a timely manner in order to ensure repeat orders and economic stability.

Seeing this wonderful organization in action really made me think about the various techniques of embroidering and how we can make the fabrics more accessible and usable in the fashion industry. The only answer is to create haute couture or one of a kind lines that will be fit a select customer base. At Avni, we really want to explore this as an exclusive collection for customers that value individual freedom of expression. We also hope to move the artisans back to more environmentally friendly methods that were traditionally used such as natural dyes and organic cotton.

Natural Snakeskin?

Check out this wonderful texture created by the talented people at our natural dyeing unit. Its created by using a method of tie dyeing called "rouching". The satin silk fabric is first dyed in the base color of Chukra bheda, which is a leafy green plant that looks a lot like spinach and is used for herbal remedies in Ayurveda. Once the base color is done the fabric is then tied up and dyed in a second color of pomegranate skin. The resulting combination is a wonderful snakeskin like texture that has a natural sheen because of the satin base.

Watch out for this texture in our Fall'11 Warrior Princess collection that is currently under the works.

Jacket with Scarf attached

So this is one of my favorite designs that I happen to wear all the time in the early Fall/late Spring and in San Francisco (if you know how SF's perpetual fall weather feels like). I wanted to give people who follow Avni's journey to let me know what they think about a scarf attached to Jacket concept. My personal opinion is that its different yet warm and comfortable. More for hanging out in the crisp, cool air. I usually wear it when I don't have to take it off.

It's Pomegranate Skin!!

For those who don't know the philosophy of our natural dyes, its all about using waste materials such as onion peel, pomegranate skin, insect secretion or herbs such as Harda, Basil. They actually don't use food that can be consumed, such as beets, or actual insects/animal dyes such as cochineal.

Enjoy one of my all time favorites and most widely used in brand Avni- pomegranate skin.This dye is very versatile and can create grays/blacks and olive green. Enjoy some of our designs featuring this gorgeous dye.

Lac- An ancient Natural Dye

As natural dyes are gaining some momentum all over the globe, I am starting to realize that each designer that uses natural dyes has his/her own perspective on the colors and raw materials they use. For example, Mr.Larkin, a California based design house, uses waste from grocery stores and flowers to create colors. My suppliers use herbs and ancient techniques that have been part of Indian tradition for centuries. As I explore more into the world of natural dyes, I wanted to bring forth the first natural color that caught my attention (and not only because of its vibrant hues) and curiosity- Lac.

Lac is actually a secretion by certain insects found in Asia and Mexico. The residue is collected from the branches, then its crushed and cleaned after which it can be powdered for dyeing. It's even used for making jewelery in some cases. In ancient India, Lac was used as a dye and as a skin cosmetic. Today, a lot of synthetic options are fast replacing this ancient coloring method.

Our brand Avni uses this dye to create beautiful wine or pink colored clothing that are accentuated with the various textures that are our core signature. Enjoy some of our designs in this beautiful natural color.

My muse: The warrior princess

I have been thinking about the Fall'11 collection since June of this year. Usually for me, designing is all in the head. I get a vision that usually stems from something I have seen or am nostalgic about. My Fall'11 muse is a warrior princess, almost like Lena Heady in the movie 300, but more warrior like. I started to analyze my muse, from her character, her strength and finally every aspect of her portrayal. I began the process by researching all kinds of pictures and portrayals of warrior princesses, starting from Valkyries to Cleopatra and even the movie 300 itself. Once the vision is formed, I start pretty much obsessing about every small detail. I even started thinking about making a movie that would showcase the collection in a theatrical style setting (something that is being worked currently).

After much analysis the actual designs start to take shape. I knew I wanted to play with pleats and structure this time. I was thinking about my Bharat Natyam days and how the fan in the costume has such a striking shape and look. I wanted to use the so called "fan" in different ways and forms. I spent days designing and color coordinating about 25-30 designs. Finally, my product is starting to take shape. Next step, fabrics and color finalization.

Enjoy some of the pics that have inspired the designing process.