Their designs, your dreams

Gurnaaz Kaur

Look around you— all the fabric that you see- from what you are wearing to the designs someone else is using, clothing, bed linens, towels, table mats- these are all created by a textile designer. These designers create designs for woven, knitted or printed fabrics. The surface ornamentations on a fabric are also their creations. We met up with 52 such students, who have graduated as textile designers, at SUVYAN exhibition held at Shivalik View, Chandigarh.

These students have displayed all that they have learned during their three years’ education at NIIFT, Mohali. This final presentation reflected the creative facets of this field through home furnishings and apparels. Each student worked with an industrial client for the last five months and developed their individual collections and design works. From scarves, stoles, gowns, to bed sheets, cushions, duvet covers, bath range, lingerie, rugs, carpets, this exhibition was all encompassing. 

“These designs and collections have been created as per the requirements and demands of the industry and their buyers. During their recent five-month internship, the students created designs for brands such as Nahar Fabrics, Vardhaman, Biba, Bombay Dyeing, Trident, Anthropology and Arvind Mills. We have provided our students SUVYAN 2018 as a platform to reveal their best creations and each design is inimitable,” says Shweta Sharma, the HOD of Textile Design, NIIFT. She is also the coordinator of this exhibition and feels proud of the fact that most of the students have been placed with big names in the industry. 

“Our students have put their best foot forward and brought out some really chic and unique designs in the market. Their knowledge and credibility has given them some of the coveted jobs in the textile industry. Some years back there was a time when we couldn’t capture the market in Surat, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, but today, companies are approaching us,” she says.

The students seem to have taken it as a challenge to be the best in their field and their designs meet both aesthetic and practical needs of the products. “My collection is called Mood Indigo. I’ve designed bed sheets and cushion covers for Bombay Dyeing. Beginning from handmade prints, tie-and-dye techniques, texture styling, to final fabric printed, I’ve been a part of the complete process. My work has been appreciated by the company and they even offered me a job based on it,” says a smiling Shubham Keshree.

Deepika, who interned with Kavset Exports, and Akshit Joshi, who worked at Nahar Industries, say they are creating fashion. “Our designs have been finalised for international brands such as Anthropology, Van Heusen. They are big names in the home furnishing and fashion industry. It’s a matter of pride for us.”

No doubt that the novelty these budding designers bring to fabrics does the trick to fabrics and yarns. There’s indeed is the first step to anything fashionable in clothing.

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