Day Seventeen

Today the students continued to develop their patterns, cut fabric and assemble their garments in their groups. At eleven o’clock, Şölen and Angela were invited to a jury in the conference hall where second year students presented their work to a panel. In groups of 6-8 students, they had set off to various remote parts of India to carry out an in-depth research into a variety of traditional crafts.
The craft of Phulkari which originates in Punjabi (East India /West Pakistan) is a precise embroidery with geometrical motifs. Another presentation focused on Kasavu Kala saris which are designed especially for religious rituals, made in cream cotton and embroidered with gold ornamental borders. Chamba is a figurative craft and takes its inspiration from Hindu mythology. Kantha was the most interesting, this is a form of top-stitching on recycled fabrics, mainly saris, which traditional they remake into blankets and mattresses. The students developed a more contemporary ready-to wear collection using the same method of stitching. We watched several students labourously stitching their fabrics in our studio, it was a very intricate process and even a small section can take up to one week to complete.

In the meanwhile, the Indian-Turkish students worked late into the night to complete their designs.