Pankaja x Odisha Weaves show collection at LFW 6Degree Studios

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Feb 2, 2018

Pankaja Sethi showed a collection of her handloom textiles woven by Adivasi women from the Odisha region as part of Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) day two’s Sustainable Fashion Day.

On February 1, the Pankaja x Odisha Weavers runway show took place at Jio Garden’s 6Degree Studio at 4:30pm. After showcasing her work in Pune and Bhubaneshwar in December, Sethi took Odisha’s traditional woven textiles to Mumbai for LFW. Models stood on podiums draped in sarees in a variety of natural hues. Tiny fish motifs could be found in the weaves which added a delicate touch to the rustic textiles. Models wore statement ethnic jewellery and were given tattoo-esque facial markings to create an overall look that payed homage to Odisha’s traditions whilst remaining innovative and modern.

LFW, which is currently running in Mumbai until February 4, took its second day to celebrate sustainable fashion with brands that use handloom textiles, natural dyes, traditional production methods, and other environmentally friendly design and production processes. The past year especially has seen a large number of Indian brands embrace sustainable fashion more than ever and the press from LFW’s Sustainable Fashion Day will surely help to further this.

Inspired by the handicraft traditions of Odisha, Pankaja make contemporary sarees crafted from handloom textiles. The brand was founded by Pankaja Sethi who graduated from NIFT, New Delhi, with a BA in textile design. Sethi went on to pursue a masters in Social Anthropology at SOAS, London, before launching her brand.