The gaiety of Bihu

The rich diversity of Assam was showcased by local fashion designer at a recently concluded festival in Guwahati
In an attempt to make Assam a sought after fashion destination , experienced as well as emerging designers from the State presented their collections at the first edition of “Rongali Celebrating the Essence of Assam”, a three-day event, celebrated on the sprawling Veterinary Ground in Guwahati.
They made use of hand woven fabric, motifs and jewellery of indigenous tribes and gave them a contemporary twist. Bearing in mind that their State is blessed with diversity, the participating designers made use of fabric, accessories of tribes like Meishing, Kabi, Bodo, Rabha and Tiwa. The idea was to feature different tribal traditions which non-Assamese are unaware of. Therefore, they used the traditional methodology in preparing elaborate headgears and shimmering jewelleries.
This time round, Garima Saikia Garg, who despite being a reputed designer deviated from her usual practice of presenting ethnic fusion of the North East and focussed only on Assam. As the Bihu festivities are on full swing she created her outfits to showcase to the rest of the world that her State has the potential to emerge as a fashion hub.
“Mostly, I work on ethnic fusions since North East is so rich with over hundred tribes and their untouched colour theme, motifs, designs and fabrics are incomparably beautiful.” For this festival, she scouted around the countryside and obtained fabric from indigenous tribes like Singpho, Khampi, Tai-Phake and then worked on them in a manner to suit contemporary taste.
In the spring summer collection, Garmia emphasised more on bride’s colourfully embellished attires. “This was necessary keeping in mind that our New Year is round the corner and it is also the wedding season. I used silk and other ethnic fabrics and then amalgamated them with other materials to give outfits an Assamese touch. They were silhouetted for global acceptance,” says the designer, who also dabbles into acting and her latest film The Maya Tape is going to release soon. Garima also showcased the traditional dry flowers which are prepared by each tribe in a different avatar.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the event was the much anticipated fashion show presented by Mehzabin Ershad, the State’s most eminent designer. She made a fashion statement by displaying that mekhela chadar in not just the ubiquitous white .
Justifying her decision, Mehzabin says, “In weddings of Assamese Muslims and Hindus we make the brides wear identical white mekhela chadar as this colour signifies chastity. But since this was Bihu, I used a range of colours to make the audience feel happy that our New Year is fast approaching.”
She made models wear jewellery with traditional motifs to highlight the scenic beauty of Assam’s countryside, its rainforest and flora and fauna.
Designer Kunatala Goswami used headgear and jewellery of her State but made the statuesque models wear gowns which were western but jelled well with the accessories.
Speaking about the intricacies involved in her collection, she says, “ We also used zari weaving which is called Guna in Assamese . We took inspiration from the tribal communities and used moga silk. It took us three months to prepare the collection.”
Her co-partner Manimala Mahanto, who designed the outfits, made Amrita Gogoi, showstopper, wear the traditional mekhela (lower portion) chadar (upper portion of dress). She used natural fabric procured from mulberry silk. She made intelligent use of jute to design flower motifs on gowns and frocks.
On the flip side, the models were not the usual professional ones who are required to give deadpan expressions. What was heartening indeed for everyone present there was that they did not walk on the ramp in a perfunctory manner. Effervescence was written all over them as they walked in front of the gathering comprising their parents, siblings and neighbours.
According to Shyamkam Mahanta, festival organiser, he had instructed all designers to promote handloom and jewellery of tribal communities. “The idea was to surprise visitors with our rich diversity in terms of fabrics, accessories and cultural heritage and promote Assam as a sought after fashion destination.”