A glam ode to handloom at Surajkund

In yet another fashion extravaganza at the Surajkund Mela, designers showcased the rich handloom heritage and craft traditions from across the country. The show, My Handloom – My Pride, was curated by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in association with Haryana Tourism, Ministry of Textiles and DC (Handloom). The designers who participated in the show included Anjali Kalia, Divyam Mehta, Gaurav Khanijo, Madhu Jain, Payal Jain and Samant Chauhan.


‘Everything you see on the ramp is hand woven and hand embroidered’
Block printing, ikat, Banarasi weaves and fabrics like Bhagalpuri silks were the highlight of the show.Designer Payal Jain showcased a white and gold collection with Phekwa textiles - Phekwa is a style of weaving from Varanasi. “Today evening you will witness the magic of handicraft of our country. Everything that you will see on the ramp today has been hand woven, hand embroidered. Not a single outfit here is machine made,” said MD Sinha, Principal Secretary, Tourism Department, Haryana, as he addressed the gathering before the fashion show.
(L-R) MD Sinha, Principal Secretary, Tourism Department, Haryana, Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, and Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI
Designers’ day out at Surajkund Mela
Some of the participating designers, like Madhu Jain and Samant Chauhan, returned to do a handloom show again after a year.
Designer Samant Chauhan reminisced the days when he would come to Surajkund fair as a fashion student. “Since this has been an event displaying best of country’s craft and skills, we would come here with friends in a bus each year. We would wait excitedly to visit the fair. After many years, I returned here last year to do a show and this year again I got an opportunity to be here,” he said.