Abraham & Thakore - WIFWAW '14

This season Abraham & Thakore looks at sleek uniform dressing for the city. A collection based on the urban shikar, where the streets of a city are the terrain, a smartphone the defense. Shaped by a palette based on the golden hues of wild silk, the collection evokes many shades of khaki with its references to safari, uniforms and combat. This contemporary wardrobe is based on iconic separates worn with eclectic ease - a trench coat from Tussar silk is thrown over a saree; a military inspired blouson jacket made from Eri (Ahimsa) silk makes an ironic comment and is teamed with a long kurta, a pair of baggy salwars takes on utility features. Wild silk provides the canvas for the Autumn Winter 2014 collection. Along with the classic fabrics and textures of tussar, muga and eri silk, we have taken tussar and other wild silk yarns to weavers all over India in the past few months to explore different techniques from different regions. The weavers of Varanasi have crafted refined modern brocades using tussar yarns for this collection. From Chautapal in Andhra Pradesh, traditional ikat weavers have woven innovative fabrics in both double and single ikats using these yarns. The highly skilled Jamdani weavers of Fulia in Bengal have woven fabrics in tussar using the traditional three shuttle technique to create modern geometrics based on the classic temple motif of woven Indian textiles. Wild silk: In India, Muga, Tussar and Eri are fabrics woven from wild silk. Unlike cultivated si