FNDC Celebrates Weaves of Assam With Haute Couture Fashion

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: FNDC- Northeast India Fashion & Design Council is the pioneer organization in promotion of haute couture fashion through traditional designs and materials of the Assam and Northeast, celebrated the Handloom Week in a different style this year. The organization since its inception has been promoting the exotic handlooms of the Northeast worldwide with fashion and apparel shows in USA, Middle East , Far East and in the mega event LAKME FASHION WEEK in the last few years. Due to its untiring efforts, the fabrics and weaves of Northeast have found a value added national and international markets and encouraged local designers to improve their product range, alternative applications of local fabric like eri and muga and mulberry silk.

This year, the Handloom Week was celebrated by a fashion show of six local handloom designers Anuradha Kuli, Ankita Choudhury Mahanta, Nafisa Mehzabin, Pooja Khemka, Chinmoyee Pujari and Bhavna Priya Kalita using local materials and indigenous designs. The Celebrations also marked a discussion on the prospects of the Handloom industry in Assam and the Northeast and planning out a roadmap for this sector in the coming years. Chief Guest Director Handloom and Textiles, Govt of Assam, ACS, Kabita Deka, Guest of Honour (Retd IAS) Swapnanil Barua, Celebrity Handloom Designer Anita Deka, Anju Buragohain and Kunal Kaushik were felicitated by Additional Secretary, Elementary Education, Govt of Assam, ACS, Indira Kalita, on behalf of FNDC. Kabita Deka appreciated FNDC’s initiative of promoting the handloom designs and designers of Northeast India nationally and internationally in her speech. She urged the emerging and established designers to work on our handloom sector and take our handloom weavers ahead holding hands. She mentioned that our handloom designers should take the advantage of Government schemes and banking sectors to upgrade their business. Swapnanil Baruah spoke in detail about the bright prospect ahead and the steps needed in the seri-culture sector for supplies of raw materials and processing facilities for the weavers. The need for GI marking of local design and motifs were also discussed.

Founder and President of FNDC, Medha Saikia, welcomed the friends from Media, participating Designers and models and thanked all present for their cooperation. She appealed to the Government to sit with the actual stakeholders who are working for the development and promotion of handloom sector and help them to grant funds to set up WSC in to the remote villages where only the handloom can prosper. “The Government should increase its involvement to promote handloom weavers and Designers with frequent interactions with them to let the industry flourish”, she said.

Also Read: Handloom & Textile Centres Gasping For Life!