A traveller, thinker, dreamer and designer, Anju Modi launched her eponymous model in 1990, together with her love for textiles and the Indian craft serving as the primary catalyst and basis of her designing philosophy.

A key changemaker within the area of design, Anju Modi serves as a custodian of Indian custom and strives to offer modern innovation to age-old crafts and textiles throughout the trade. A reality not identified to many is that, each season, Anju Modi’s couture and ready-to-wear collections are constructed round themes showcasing the extraordinary expertise of Indian artisans in a bid to protect handicraft practices from extinction, protecting their wealthy historical past alive and empowering native rural communities.

Following this observe, Anju Modi has, single-handedly, revived a number of age-old methods that had been lengthy forgotten, by creating an intensive library of analysis and improvement methods for weaving, vegetable dyeing, block printing and conventional embroidery.

When it comes to design, philosophical references and architectural marvels come alive in lots of Anju Modi’s items with every ensemble painstakingly adorned to mirror, improve and have fun the cultural historical past of varied cities and areas of India.

The designer has additionally been critically acclaimed for her costume designs for Indian movies RamLeela (which garnered her the Life Okay Display screen Awards and The Begin Guild Awards, together with a nomination for Filmfare 2013 for Finest Costume) and extra just lately, Bajirao Mastani, that featured ensembles impressed by the Persian and Maratha period of the Indian Historical past.

Attire Assets (AR) speaks to the extremely acclaimed and multi-faceted designer in an unique interview as we unravel the model’s inception, its distinctive work within the area of reviving age-old Indian crafts and textiles, how it’s merging the previous with the brand new to cater to the shoppers of as we speak and its plans for the longer term.

INCEPTION

With a proper coaching in design, Anju Modi began her journey within the trade with an ambition to make a distinction on the earth of vogue and design and on the identical time, preserve her love for Indian crafts alive in order to make the world witness the sheer fantastic thing about the treasures near house.

“By 1990, I used to be geared up with sufficient data on textiles and materials, in order that’s after I determined to make the leap and launched my model. I used to be like a clean canvas with an ambition to make a distinction. I needed to make use of all of the sources I had and couple these with my love for Indian textiles,” Anju Modi, Artistic Director, Anju Modi Model advised AR in an unique interview.

“When it comes to work expertise, first-hand interplay with the native weaver’s group, dyers, craftsmen, and so on., was all I had. It’s these experiences which have formed me personally, as a artistic skilled and even my model. I developed a greater understanding of materials, textiles and deeper nuances of crafts whereas working with them,” she added.

Anju’s curiosity in India’s prized textiles and crafts is what impressed her to start out her personal model. The designer additionally credit her birthplace, Ranchi, for fuelling her fondness for the humanities, which impressed her to convey the area’s native craftsmanship to the forefront and create consciousness amongst individuals to worth the huge vary of textiles and tradition our nation is blessed with.

PRODUCT CATEGORY AND PRICING

Anju Modi gives one thing for everybody to select from. With a broad vary of marriage ceremony couture, luxurious pret and occasionwear, shoppers have all kinds of lehenga units, anarkali units, clothes, kurtis and tunics that may be worn for lighter capabilities in addition to for formal lunches and dinner events to even weddings, to select from.

The clothes are designed with utmost precision and plenty of analysis goes into placing a set collectively. Therefore, each outfit you see is hand made to element and is designed to final for many years, so it’s timeless and sustainable additionally.

Ranging from Rs.14,000, the costs of merchandise at Anju Modi go up relying upon the quantity of labor accomplished over them.

“The principle cause for being concerned with individuals from varied areas is that it provides variety to our model. Native areas have a lot to supply which in flip, advantages the model and its intention to convey Indian crafts to the forefront,” – Anju Modi, Artistic Director, Anju Modi Model

When it comes to collections, the model launches 6 to eight collections per yr based mostly on seasons and since India is a land of varied cultures, the festive season is an addition. The variety of items per assortment are managed based mostly on the overall variety of orders the model receives on a specific outfit. This in flip, helps it to be extra aware and cautious of the waste produced in addition to overproduction.

MANUFACTURING AND SOURCING

Most of Anju Modi’s outfits are produced in-house at its design studio in Noida which at present contains a staff of over 50 individuals. Nevertheless, in addition they work with varied suppliers based mostly in several states in India.

Commenting on the identical, Anju mentioned, “The principle cause for being concerned with individuals from varied areas is that it provides variety to our model. Native areas have a lot to supply which in flip, advantages the model and its intention to convey Indian crafts to the forefront.”

She additional added, “The suppliers that the model usually works with embody these from Kota, Venkatgiri, Kutch and Banaras, amongst others.”

Through the years, Anju Modi has constructed a robust repertoire of the methods and nuances of textiles by means of analysis and by working intently with the grasp craftsmen in addition to weavers throughout the nation. When it comes to crafts, one can simply get glimpses of India in Anju Modi’s creations. This alone has served as a major cause behind the model’s garments being thought of as heirlooms, explaining why individuals have felt emotionally related to them for many years.

“To give you one thing that lasts without end, takes an equal quantity of labor. We search for artisans all around the nation and get our materials, textiles and supplies accomplished from the perfect. My private favorite needs to be Bandhej from Gujarat. We even have artisans from Paithan, Maheshwar, amongst others,” Anju defined.

The model’s success in its endeavours to advertise craftsmanship, is clearly obvious in its intricately crafted creations.

That being mentioned, each outfit at Anju Modi is a results of the approaching collectively of varied textiles. Earlier than deciding on the material, the staff does a radical analysis on the right materials and the perfect place that it may well both be sourced from or made.

On the subject of outsourcing materials and uncooked supplies, the standard of textiles serves because the utmost precedence for the label. Some frequent areas the model works with on this regard are Venkatgiri, Kutch, Baranas, Indore, and so on.

TECHNIQUES AND DETAILS

Experimentation, analysis, taking part in round with completely different textiles and supplies and discovering treasure amongst archives is what makes Anju Modi’s items stand out out there.

“What I like essentially the most about our clothes isn’t just the truth that we use Indian textiles and crafts however it’s additionally how we use them. We’re continually researching and experimenting with what we’ve got. I discover it fairly fascinating to convey crafts from completely different states and marry them collectively, leading to a really vibrant outfit,” Anju Modi mentioned.

SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL PRACTICES

Anju Modi- the model, was constructed on moral grounds and creating clothes that should final over a long time. Due to this fact, as a model, it’s of their genes to perform on the identical model philosophy even as we speak.

To realize the identical, the staff at Anju Modi begins by discovering what they’ve of their archives and the way it may be included into their imaginative and prescient for the brand new assortment. Therefore, they utilise previous swatches to get impressed from and develop new ones utilizing these concepts. Throughout the entire manufacturing course of, it’s saved in thoughts that no extra materials apart from what they require, is used. The leftovers are used to create the model’s trims and equipment that in flip, add a phenomenal contact to the garment and look fairly beautiful.

“What I like essentially the most about our clothes isn’t just the truth that we use Indian textiles and crafts however it’s additionally how we use them. We’re continually researching and experimenting with what we’ve got. I discover it fairly fascinating to convey crafts from completely different states and marry them collectively, leading to a really vibrant outfit.” – Anju Modi, Artistic Director, Anju Modi Model

Anju Modi’s items can be found to buy on the model’s atelier, flagship retailer and through varied multi-designer shops in India and internationally. The model additionally takes on-line orders through its e-commerce web site www.anjumodi.com.

“Folks discover us on completely different social media platforms after which place their orders both on the web site or in individual. The intention is to all the time continue to grow and bettering ourselves with time, whereas protecting our model ethos intact. As for plans, I’d love for us to undertake extra sustainable and eco-friendly measures and practices,” Anju concluded.

AR: What’s one useful lesson/talent you learnt whereas working a profitable vogue enterprise within the Indian panorama that you simply want you’d identified previous to beginning the label?

AM: I consider every part occurs when it’s meant to occur. You stroll by yourself timeline, and also you study issues on the go. So, I really feel extraordinarily content material with how life has turned out for me and for all the teachings I’ve learnt whereas navigating this enriching journey.

AR: What, in line with you, is driving consumption in vogue classes within the Indian market?

AM: Consumption is predicated on varied components. Aside from private and financial components, psychological in addition to social components additionally drive one’s consumption behaviour. I consider simple accessibility of merchandise has positively led to a rise together with social media and the web as a complete. E-commerce has change into an enormous factor and has a really excessive probability of rising sooner or later as nicely.

AR: What led you to discover the world of costume designing and movies? How is it completely different from designing a set for direct shoppers?

AM: I’ve been fascinated about our crafts, tradition, historical past and heritage for so long as I can keep in mind. The love for textiles has been a relentless in my life and I consider it was that very factor that makes me wish to experiment extra. Costume designing was a beautiful alternative for me to develop my boundaries and go into the depths of our historic characters and the time interval.

Creating well-tailored clothes for a consumer is what we purpose for whereas designing. We analyse the consumer’s wants and necessities and advocate the perfect answer for them.

Creating a fancy dress additionally takes an intensive quantity of analysis. It’s important to stay genuine to the screenplay, characters and time interval. It’s essential to grasp the plot so as to adhere to the tradition, historical past, values and so forth. Due to this fact, materials, colors, designs, stitching strategies and so forth are chosen in line with the specs of the plot and the director.