One to watch interview: designer Shazia Saleem
February 16, 2010 by Jen Marsden
Designer Shazia Saleem creates beautiful ethical fashion from handloomed fabrics sourced directly from individual weavers and co-operatives in India – and she’s on a mission to bring sustainable handwoven textiles to the fashion forefront. Lisa Cugnetto writes.
“One of the main aims of my company is to revive the handwoven industry in India,” says Shazia of the label that carries her name.
“Outside of the Indian and Indian ex-pat community, these fabrics are not understood. I think because of the Industrial Revolution people don’t see how fabric is still handwoven. I don’t think there is an awareness of contemporary handweaving outside of the textiles and craft industries. By using handwoven fabrics in a contemporary way, I hope to introduce other industries to handwoven textiles and help revive the industry.”
Khadi organic cotton (a cloth made from handspun and handwoven yarn used by Mahatma Gandhi as part of the freedom of independence movement); cruelty free peace silk; and, more recently, Harris Tweed, (made from pure virgin wool that is dyed, spun and handwoven in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland) are amongst the fabrics used in her collections.
Photo: Sheina Donaldson
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