Kallol Datta | Jameel Prize: Poetry to Politics | V&A

Kallol Datta is a clothing designer from Kolkata, India, shortlisted for the V&A's Jameel Prize: Poetry to Politics in 2021. Growing up in the UAE and Bahrain, Kallol has always been fascinated and inspired by clothing from across West Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. In this short film, Kallol describes his experimental pattern-cutting technique and the way he creates sculptural shapes on the body. His designs mine the shapes and silhouettes of many different garment forms, emphasising the connections and commonalities among global clothing, while celebrating difference in the details. Kallol is highly attuned to the political significance of dress, and the ways clothing is used to control women and minority communities. By experimenting with veiling and enveloping the body, Datta seeks to subvert expectations around 'Islamic dress' and the ways that garments are gendered. His practice foregrounds clothing as an outlet for personal agency and expression. Find out more about the Jameel Prize: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/jameel-prize-poetry-to-politics Vote for your favourite shortlisted artist from this year's Jameel Prize: https://jameel-prize.vam.ac.uk/entry/vote/kogmjJYg