Textile designer Kshitij Jalori feels that handloom has always been one of the most intriguing sectors and a very deep understanding is required on how to develop the fabric. However he feels that Indian fashion industry has brought these "age-old" textiles and crafts to the fore thereby improving the demand for such products."The Handloom sector has always been one of the most intriguing sectors and yet it is one where a very deep understanding is required of how the fabric is developed right from the fibre stage to the final finished fabric."It touches many lives and goes through multiple hands before the final product is developed and hence, requires not only an understanding of fabric but also a humanistic approach and a great understanding of the human lives involved in the process," Jalori told IANS in an e-mail interview."Factoring in all these, it's taken a bit of time to garner widespread appreciation especially from the fashion sector but has come to the fore with a lot of designers choosing to work with Handloom textiles and local artisans to create products which are not only unique but also bring about a certain freshness to the craft," added the designer.
Having 7 years of experience in the textile and fashion sector and hailing from the city of Ajmer, Rajasthan, Jalori pursued Textile Designing from NIFT, New Delhi and gained experience with some of the renowned luxury fashion houses and designers such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Fabindia, Rita Kapur Chisti to name a few.With a rich experience in textile and product designing, Jalori launched his own label - KSHITIJ JALORI through a solo exhibition last month at Bikaner House.Talking about how Indian fashion industry has contributed in bringing handloom to the forefront, he said: "Well, honestly it is not just Indian Fashion and the designers that deserve credit for getting handlooms the deserved acknowledgment but also the people who have worked at the back end with the Weavers to ensure sustained development of these fabrics."Also, the multiple organisations, be it government or private that have worked with the artisans to help alleviate the working conditions and circumstances to ensure of a longevity for the handloom sector so that our generation is able to see the quality of work that this county is capable of generating."The fashion industry has helped propel the status further and brought the handloom right to the fore thereby improving the demand for such products," he said,
Talking about his design inspiration, he said: "The quest to see Indian traditional textiles, handloom and handwoven fabrics in a very modern minimal aesthetic where Indian textiles can be worn as fashionable garments across the globe is what has always inspired me to work in this particular sector."The number of possibilities that each sector holds and the new developments that are possible is what keeps me highly motivated to continue the development and enhance the use of techniques."Talking about the expansion plans, the designer said: "I have started my initial work with the Benaras sector because that's the area that I have maximum exposure to and understand the techniques the most, but moving forward I would like to work with other crafts such as Chikankari from Lucknow, Jamdani from Bengal, Kanchipuram Silks to name a few."