Deepika Govind Show at Chivas Fashion Tour 2008

Model walk the ramp for Deepika Govind at at Chivas Fashion tour in Delhi on 19th November 2008

Designer Profile: Deepika Govind
Areas Of Design “Creativity takes courage.’’

• Garments – prêt and couture collections
• Interiors
• Lifestyle products
• Accessories

Statement “All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness. The need of the hour is a personalized interpretation of fashion. ‘’

Design Philosophy `I have always thought of fabric and drape as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet.’
Fashion for the EARTH :

• E lements
• A rt
• R evolution
• T echnology
• H uman hand

Fashion as a mirror to society, reflecting the tide of the times
Using fashion as a medium, to voice concern, to fight a lone battle…
• The environment
• The revival of fading textile traditions
• The resurrection of dying crafts
• The status of women
On Design “Design is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.’’
She holds sacred the sensitive touch of the human hand, the meditative thought of the weaver. To bring to life the value of natural fibre, a handwoven textile, a hand crafted ensemble.

Her mission is to blend silks and natural fibres, to create finer, more unique new age textiles, weaving together the fabric of two civilizations – the warp of the ancient and the weft of the modern. (Eg: Ikat).

Fabric for the sense and sensibilities- interweaving threads of technology and tradition. (eg: Khadi – tencel .)

She achieves a balance of contrasts — the smooth and the rough, the light and the dark, the transparent and the opaque — in a single garment, representing a study of contradictions that exist in each one of us. Contradictory elements go into creating a unified whole where modernity takes over tradition

Layers to cloak and reveal secrets. Constructing and deconstructing, taking apart to create. Texturing – refined yet rugged.

The silhouettes are organic, with an interplay of fabrics, colours and textures.

Experimenting with cuts, creating new forms and patterns, garments given a quirky touch, in the spirit of couture-with-a – twist.

Long and flowing, strange, but also elegant, beautiful moving pieces of artwork.

The handcrafted ensembles testify the quest for precision and an eye for detail.
All Deepika Govind creations find a comfortable balance of Eastern crafting and Western construction.

On Fabric Development “My deep motivation is to develop distinctive fabrics of indisputable quality and dexterity of weave.…When archeologists study an excavated site, they judge a civilization’s progress by the fineness of their muslin. To me, textiles tell the ultimate tale of a people, of the advancement of mind and soul, of their understanding of themselves and their universe.’’

Annually, she launches new fabrics, unique pure silk blends, experiments with weaves, always spinning a cosmopolitan cloth.

Brand Values “India is one of the heartbeats-of-the-world kinds of places – where everything is constantly moving and evolving – a cultural goldmine. It is the best school that you could ever go to”.

Creations reflecting the India of today. Western silhouettes with an Indian touch.
Waving the Green Flag – ecofriendly fabrics, vegetable dyes
Resurrecting traditional textiles in a modern capsule.
Reinventing crafts facing slow extinction.
Unusual colours.
Unique Cuts.

The ensembles she creates are often spiritual, intellectual, lyrical, abstract, sometimes difficult, yet always beautiful. They are at once avant garde and classic, transcending both time and culture..

Milestones “I love things that age well, that stand the test of time and become living examples of the absolute best…..’’

• 1995 – Launched label, set up studio and workshop
• 2002 – Flagship store, M.G.Road, Bangalore. Stylist for shoots, ad films and fashion editorials . Fashion Columnist, The Times of India, Bangalore.
• 2003 – Launched menswear line.
• 2004 – Launched home furnishings line. Began interior projects.
• 2005 – Completed interiors to two boutique hotels.
• 2006 – Deepika Govind store, Khan Market, New Delhi.
• 2007 – launch of the DG Art Gallery (to promote young artists and artisans) at Khan Market, New Delhi.
• 2007 – launch of DG store in Hyderabad
• 2008 – launch of DG store at the international terminal, Bangalore international airport.

Shows in India “ I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say, “she feels deeply, she understands deeply.’’

1995&1996 – Solo shows,
1999 – “A Weekend of Fashion” at the Oberoi
1999 – In association with the IBM I – series ThinkPad and Swarovski
2000 – In association with IBM ThinkPad
2001 – “Style in Black”, in association with Toyota & the Lakme India Fashion Week
2002 – India Fashion Week
2003 –
• March –“A Crystal Soiree” at the F-bar (FTV bar and lounge, Bangalore) in association with Swarovski and Moet & Chandon
• April – “An Evening to Remember” at the F-bar, Bangalore, in association with Toyota
• May/June – “Style Unwired 2003”, in association with IBM at New Delhi & Bangalore
• August – Lakme India Fashion Week, Mumbai
• October – Nominated for the MTV-Lycra Style Awards as “Breakthrough Designer of the Year”
• December – Lounge-wear at the ABN Amro Bank, Bangalore
2004 –
• May – Lakme India Fashion Week , `Footsteps of a quirky aristocrat/’
• September – Autumn/Winter 04 Collections, “Of Fetters & Freedom” in a series of five shows across five weekends
• October – Prêt line at the Blender’s Pride “Fashion Fringe”

2005 – Lakme India Fashion Week, New Delhi, `Layers Within.’
2006 –
• April – Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, New Delhi, ikat-based collection called `Parchment blues : Inked in Ikat.’
• May/June –“Tryst With Lycra” New Delhi and Bangalore.
• Aug – Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, New Delhi, `Tears of the Muses.’
• Sept – participated in Premiere Vision, Paris, showing usage of a newly-developed blend, `sensitive fabric,’ in a collection inspired by the Taj Mahal.
2007
• March – India Fashion Week, New Delhi, `Seal of the Sensitive : Key to Jigsaw’ .
• April – Launched the Threads of gold collection, Bangalore & New Delhi, pure gold threads on crepe de chine, a project in association with the Karnataka Government.
• April – Showcased a Taj-inspired collection at the lycra meet.
• May – showcased a collection in cotton and chiffon for the `Cool with Cotton’ meet.
• Sept – Showcasing `Send My Roots Rain : An Eco-Theatre’ at the India Fashion week, New Delhi.
• November – `We’re talking about a Revolution’ – show at the F-bar, Hyderabad, marking the launch of the Deepika Govind store in Hyderabad.
2008
• March – Showcased `Conference of the Birds, Concert of the Sea’ at the India Fashion Week, New Delhi.

Fabric Firsts by Deepika Govind

Major breakthroughs in fabric development include:

• Khadi silk and tencel; khadi cotton and tencel. Blending the khadi yarn with tencel resulted in the creation of a cosmopolitan cloth – the traditional khadi become stronger, more drapy and fluid, more versatile, retained colour better when dyed and was extraordinarily soft and supple. It raised khadi to a fashion platform and gave it a new lease of life. Tencel is a manmade fibre, known as the `wonder fibre’. It is developed from the tree bark and hence is completely natural and eco-friendly

• Modal is another cellulosic fibre from the tree bark. In association with the Modal company, developed a series of pure silk blends – the modal and Indian combine silk resulted in a luxuriously soft and supple silk, there’s hi-twist modal silk (modal + Indian silk, given a crimp), modal silk with a dramatic ikat weave, etc.

• Working with Invista, experimented with blending various Indian silks with lycra – Chiffon with lycra, satin silk + lycra, rawsilk or dupont + lycra, georgette + lycra, crepe with lycra. Thus our popular silks gained a new momentum, with a stretch factor and sheen, as well as improving the drape.

• In association with Invista and Eurojersey, was the first to use ‘Sensitive’, a fabric developed using the finest state-of-the-art technology. Specially treated, it is UV ray protected and has moisture control – ie one feels cool when one wears it. Experimented using ‘Sensitive’ in Indian silhouettes, creating the Taj Collection, which she showcased at Premiere Vision, Paris, in September 06.

• Developed a heavy grammage muga silk (a North Eastern silk). Muga is known as ‘liquid gold’ because of its natural lustre, which only increases as the fabric, ages. She developed a heavier Muga which could be used in more ornate ensembles.

• Developed a finer Noil silk. The existent noil silk has a tendency to pill a lot, while the fabric has great texture and feel. Improved on this to create a noil that is smoother and finer and reduced pilling drasticallyl.

• Was the first to use aromatherapy on silks. Required considerable R & D. thus far, aroma had been done on some knits and certain lingerie. Never on silk. Working with Resil, she developed special aromas on a range of special silks – it was a completely eco-friendly treatment or wash, there were no synthetics involved. The aromas included tea tree oil, pine, lavender, rose and several fruity flavours.

• Apart from aromatherapy on silks, she developed the “cool and wet’’ effect on silks, again another wash. Hence on a hot summer day, a treated fabric affords coolness amidst the stifling humidity.

• Silk–knit or silk which has been knitted (as opposed to woven). Developed a range of graphic silk knits which have an incredible drape and stretch and feel extremely luxurious on the body. Developed in association with CSTRI, And alternative to pure silk.

• Eri- denim: Again working with CSTRI, she developed the Eri silk (again a north eastern silk) in a denim weave, creating a fabric that looks and behaves exactly like denim. This was an alternative to denim – a remarkable breakthrough.

• Corn silk – silk made out of corn fibre. This was again developed in association with a silk research body. A very delicate fabric.
• Paper weight silk – silk that is as light as paper and has a slight wavy crimp. Again an experiment that resulted in the creation of a new improved pure silk blend.

• An ikat specialist she has done the entire range – from weaving printing to knitting ikat

• Created the `Threads of Gold’ sarees, working as a consultant to Karnataka Silks. For the first time, pure gold threads on crepe de chine.

• Created a unique pattern on a blend of tasar from the oak tree and wool, to resemble the scales of the Himalayan bird – the Black Francolin .