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The designer’s festive collection is inspired by the Urdu opera from the 1800s

How Raw Mango brings Indian textiles to life through visual storytelling

Designer Sanjay Garg weaves a story into his festive collection that is inspired by the Urdu opera from the 1800s

History and architecture has always been the foundation upon which fashion designer Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango has based every new collection. Raw Mango’s summer 2022 collection ‘Chorus’ relayed the design aesthetics of the Rococo period with woven ornamentation such as birds, flora and ribbons in a vibrant colour palette, while the brand’s festive 2021 collection ‘Romantics’ drew from 18th century Europe’s lavish textile history with softer silhouettes that featured ruffles, pearl beading and quilting on satin silk and organza sarees and lehengas. 

Not surprisingly, Garg’s latest festive collection pays homage to the bygone era of the 1800s. “The sources of inspiration for 'Peacock Country' originated from the Awadh region, which was a very different culture than that of the Mughals. And taking a cue from the architecture of the Awadh, the collection features bold and prominent motifs that draw from inlay work,” Garg explains. 

Sanjay Garg’s latest festive collection pays homage to the bygone era of the 1800s

Sanjay Garg’s latest festive collection pays homage to the bygone era of the 1800s

But it’s not just about the fact that Raw Mango’s brocade sarees, lehengas and kurta suits are worn by celebrities and are on every bride’s wishlist. It’s about the stories that Garg tells through his collections, ones that reflect his appreciation for theatrics and performance. In our conversation with Garg, the designer gives us a deeper understanding about how with his brand, storytelling plays the central character.

How much is visual storytelling important for you when it comes to presenting and selling your collections?

‘Peacock Country’ draws inspiration from Inder Sabha, an Urdu play and opera, written by poet Agha Hasan Amanat, that was first staged in 1853. It’s a beautiful story where the poet created a fantasy of two cultures coming together. A theatrical drama of this nature cannot possibly be limited to being 'just fashion' imagery. I think it's important to redefine how stories are told, through images, videos or words. We don't see our campaigns as fashion-focused per se; that can be quite limiting because I want these stories to reach a world beyond fashion. They can't just be limited to people who wear fashion and work in fashion, I want to make it accessible and multi-layered. These films should impact journalists, artists and gallerists too. If we can have traditional dance forms like nautanki, through which stories are told, films and theatrical productions are just another way to transform the way fashion is presented to the world.

History and architecture has always been the foundation upon which fashion designer Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango has based every new collection 

History and architecture has always been the foundation upon which fashion designer Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango has based every new collection 

Kathak dancer Ganya Sethi wears the ‘Khamba’ sari that reinterprets a traditional sari border through all-over vertical stripes along the body

Kathak dancer Ganya Sethi wears the ‘Khamba’ sari that reinterprets a traditional sari border through all-over vertical stripes along the body

With so many designers, brands and artists using the rich heritage of Indian textiles now more than ever, how do you make sure to be different from the rest?

As a design house, Raw Mango draws from India's colours, philosophies and cultures to create its voice, place of questioning and perspective through design. It's important to us that we create new conversations in textiles and culture through our designs, and that's how we see it–appreciate and embrace century-old skills and use designs to challenge the set aesthetics and discover new possibilities.

"WE DON'T SEE OUR CAMPAIGNS AS FASHION-FOCUSED PER SE; THAT CAN BE QUITE LIMITING BECAUSE I WANT THESE STORIES TO REACH A WORLD BEYOND FASHION."

Sanjay Garg

‘Peacock Country’ draws inspiration from Inder Sabha, an Urdu play and opera, written by poet Agha Hasan Amanat, that was first staged in 1853.

‘Peacock Country’ draws inspiration from Inder Sabha, an Urdu play and opera, written by poet Agha Hasan Amanat, that was first staged in 1853.

With words like 'sustainability' and 'eco-conscious' being thrown around in the industry these days, what do they actually mean to you?

'Sustainability' is a very Western construct. In the Indian context, historically, everything from our clothes to our lifestyles to how our homes were designed was deeply rooted in the place and its people by being centred around the climate, the naturally available crops and the topography. People consumed what they created and created what they consumed–sustainability was very much a part of our way of life. Growing up in Rajasthan, sustainability was probably the only way we knew. My family would weave dhurries at home from scraps of textiles. Cotton buds were used to make the yarn on the charkha which was dyed over a wood fire. We never bought food from the market and believed in staying local. Sustainability has to be a local concept; no one can force their definition and system for it on anyone else. As people, we need to question what we consume and how much, and if we are leaving the planet better than how we found it.

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