One of the things that the Fashion Designer Council of Bangladesh is trying to do with their Khadi festival initiative, is to bring the conversation about sustainable fashion onto an international platform, so as to make the promotion of our organic fabrics a shared effort. With this in mind, they have invited international designers every year, to collaborate with our homegrown talent to showcase the exciting possibilities of the wonder weave that is Khadi.
This year is no different, as six international designers have confirmed to participate at the Khadi: Future Fabric Show 2017. The profiles of the foreign contingent emphasise FDCB’s commitment to sustainability and women empowerment.
Chimmi House of Design (Bhutan)
Self-taught designer Tshering (Chimmi) Choden founded the CHIMMI House of Design in 2014. What started as a home-based business has grown into Bhutan’s first internationally recognised fashion house. CHD is a socially conscious brand that supports sustainable growth within the local textile industry by providing employment opportunities to local weavers, tailors and artisans.
Tanoti (Malaysia)
Associate Professor Dr June Ngo from the Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak is the technical and creative director for the award-winning songket atelier Tanoti. The mission of the atelier is to empower women, preserve heritage and elevate rural communities. At Tanoti House in Kuching, young girls learn songket weaving the purist way where every process of producing songket is undertaken by hand. More recently, Tanoti has incorporated this concept with rattan craft development amongst Sarawak’s Penan tribes.
Mae Teeta (Thailand)
Morn Sukajit Daengchai is a designer for the label Mae Teeta, established in 1992. Mae Teeta was named after her grandmother Teeta who helped revive the flagging indigo-dyeing traditions in Thailand. The brand now promotes natural, locally harvested cotton and indigo-dyed textiles, woven using traditional looms, combining ancient practises with modern sensibilities.
Mu Ce (Nepal)
Rasna Shrestha, known for her label Mu Ce, is a leading Nepalese fashion designer who has been working in the industry since 2009. She has showcased her designs in many fashion shows in both national and international level. She has also showcased her designs in Canada, America, India and Australia. The driving force behind her brand is an emphasis on eco-friendly fashion.
Ohé Island (Sri Lanka)
Nelun Harasgama is as well known as a painter as a designer. Her fashion house Ohé Island has enjoyed acclaim for its exquisite batik saris as well as colourful soft furnishings for the house. Everything at Ohé Island is handmade, either 100% cotton, or raw silk, turning her pieces into wearable art.
Soumitra Mondal (India)
Soumitra Mondal, a Lakme Fashion Week favourite, is inspired by Indian art, Indian textiles and Indian culture - all of which play a part in the styling and essence of his collections. The garments are hand-crafted in fabrics like fine cotton, linen, khadi, hand-woven fabrics and traditional silk fabrics. The focus of his collections is on minimalism, along with wearability of the styles.
