Khabar.dar upcycles waste to tell the story of the relationship between people and their government. Can governments dictate values to their people, or must people take the reins and challenge governments to do better? The pieces in this collection reflect this struggle- bold stripes and textures are juxtaposed against soft, earthy saffrons and light khaki to highlight the different forces--old and new-that are active in democracies today. No one colour dominates in this collection, because diversity is to be celebrated, not destroyed. Reclaiming saffron as a colour of valour and courage, we say Khabardar! to anyone that endangers this diversity.
About the Label
IRO IRO is a zero-waste lifestyle and fashion design collective based in Jaipur. With the aim to push innovation in up-cycling, every year they create a collection to tell a unique story about the unseen and under-appreciated anthropogene. They create elevated clothing and textiles from waste, (and in the process of up-cycling, utilize crafts and knowledge indigenous to India), that are highly functional, designed to last and communicative legacies for our patrons. In pursuit of a fairer and more transparent fashion industry, and to build camaraderie, they collaborate with other businesses to upcycle their waste into functional art pieces (fashion and interior) and help them go circular. They have collaborated with Calico, Japan; Matter prints, Singapore; Doodlage, India; Cotton Rack, India; The House of MG, India, among others. Collaborations are impactful in advocating responsible design and give their artisans and us an opportunity to practice and keep defining what a refined fabric is when it is made from waste. So far they have upcycled about five tonnes of waste off-cuts into handcrafted fabrics, saving 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmostphere over the past two and a half years, and generaing work for 20 artisans based in a village near Jaipur, and also selling about 80 percent of it.
Endeavour
Endeavour is a look inspired by Annamma Mathew. They designed this look to inspire movement with grace. The Endeavour dress has been designed with IRO IRO signature re-woven fabrics. This fabric is upcycled from textile waste and is handwoven by artisans in a vilage near Jaipur. To achieve movement the label has innovated a handwoven fabric, upcycled from dead stock khadi yarns. This fabric has the lightness and wrinkles of the famous seersucker of India.
Juxtaposing a rigid fabric against a light fabric in a silhouette designed to provide mobility to its wearer, communicates a bold attitude with soft approach. The Endeavour pants have been made with IRO IRO x Khamir fabric. IRO IRO has upcycled the waste yarns from Khamir, an NGO in Gujarat, into a new handwoven fabric. This fabric changes colour with every meter, creating only one piece for its unique wearer. The pants feature pockets and an easy waist, like pyjamas.
Strive
Inspired by the story of Homai Vyrawala, this look has been designed to be uniquely feminine -- an attribute that gave her access to the spaces where no male journalists would be allowed, whilst still retaining a sense of her style that allowed her movement and ease to navigate a society entrenched in patriarchy. The Strive Jacket is a two-way jacket that can be worn like a T-shirt or a shirt. The innovative fabric that was used to make this jacket re-uses waste zari yarns from embroidery clusters. This embroidery is used to decorate Indian bridal wear. Handweaving leftover zari yarns establishes a beautiful lustre in an upcycled fabric, giving it more of a festive look.
The Strive shirt features the signature IRO IRO re-woven fabric, handwoven from textile offcuts. The label crafted the bodice out of a seersucker-like upcycled handwoven fabric. To achieve the earthy saffron we use natural colour derived from the local element gheru. The shirt has side slits to enable mobility, essential for any photographer. The Strive culottes are made using the upcycled IRO IRO handwoven seersucker. Innovated from deadstock khadi yarns and dyed using natural dyes, this fabric is perfect for any weather. This fabric has the lightness and wrinkles of the famous seersucker of India. The culottes also feature pockets.
Unite
This look is inspired by the team behind the Himmat Magazine led by Rajmohan Gandhi, and the himmat (Urdu for courage) they displayed in covering and uncovering truths during one of the most censored times of modern Indian history -- the State of Emergency that engulfed the country from 1975 to 1977. The Unite jacket is a unisex jacket constructed from the signature IRO IRO re-woven fabric. The fabric features waste of different colours bound by charcoal yarns, signifying unity in diversity. For the collar of the Unite jacket, they dyed waste yarns in natural indigo and handwove them into twill, creating a carbon-neutral denim fabric.
The Unite pants are made from the same IRO IRO re-woven fabric. They feature strings at the waist for the wearer to adjust, and pockets. They have been designed for the person who remains resolutely proactive, on-the-go, collecting stories, and seeking answers. The Unite top has been constructed with IRO IRO x Khamir fabric.
This collection will be exclusively retailed through ARTISANS' Centre, Mumbai, by both exhibiting in-store and through their website, starting December.
