Out-of-Fashion Mishmi coat gets a make-over to attract youths

Mishmi coat, a traditional fashion wear for Arunachal Pradesh's Mishmi tribe which the tribal people have discarded in favour of modern jackets, has got a new lease of life with a completely redesigned look.
Fashion-conscious tribal youths in the Himalayan state are increasingly veering away from their traditional wear to the dismay of the elders of the community who think the coat is best suited for Arunachal's severe winter.
A local designer, 58-year-old Bane Boo from Lohi district, gave the Mishmi Coat, as it is called, a complete do-up to make it appealing to the tribals, especially the youth once more.

Bane Boo, who has been weaving and knitting traditional Mishmi clothes since her youth, regretted the youth's preference for winter clothes imported from outside.
"I am very fond of educating the youths about the design of local clothes which are in danger of extinction. Regrettably, today's youth are least bothered about weaved wear and unaware of the importance of the traditional clothes," Bane Boo said.
Assistant Director of Textile & Handicrafts S Bhattacharjee has taken a keen interest to promote Mishmi garments.

He said that the department had been putting all-out efforts to train and nurture local weavers to promote traditional outfit and to make the Mishmi tribe economically self-reliant.

"Materials and constant guidance are being provided to them and their finished products are being sold at our Emporium. Making charges are also paid to them," Bhattacharjee said.
He said that under the Cluster Development Scheme, about 250 to 500 local weavers had been trained by a fashion designer to give new design and fresh look to the traditional garments for more exposure and cost-effective aspects.
"The products are also sent to Tawang, Itanagar and even Delhi according to the demand," he said.