Designers' duty to make Indian textiles and weaving viable globally: Aneeth Arora

Aneeth Arora, one of India's most popular young designers, believes it is the duty of the fashion industry to promote the textiles and craftsmanship of the country globally.

The Delhi-based designer, who will presenting her new collection at the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019 under her label Pero, said it is important for Indian designers to make the country's weaving techniques suitable for the international market.

"As designers, it is our duty to make Indian textiles and weaving viable globally. If all the traditional crafts were viable on their own, they would have had international market already. But the thing is that all the traditional crafts in India have been done on very coarse textiles and fabrics which are not very comfortable.

"I feel design intervention is needed every where. Because the best combination can be that of the craft and design," Aneeth told PTI.

The designer, known for combining traditional Indian textiles with western design sensibilities, believes the decade old movement of promoting the country's in-house techniques and fabrics is moving in the right direction.

"Now more and more people are becoming sensitive towards Indian craftsmanship and textile. We have a long way to go as India has no dearth of traditional craftsmanship. It is a slow process, but we are educating people about these traditional crafts which are actually not trending," she added.

Aneeth has partnered with Woolmark Company and Kullu-based wool weavers' cooperative, Bhuttico for her LFW collection.

The designer said working with the Kullu-based weavers was an enriching experience.

"Through Woolmark, we got a chance to work with Bhuttico. We have been working with Merino wool but this time it is special because it is getting recognised by Woolmark.

"Working with the Bhuttico weavers was a great learning experience. It was fun to work with traditional textile and present it for the global market. It was a very good opportunity for us."