Designers from Northeast India gain prominence in the modern fashion landscape

…puts Mizoram's traditional puan through the language of contemporary tailoring. Her eponymous label, launched in 2013, works with women weavers, turning the puan into sharply tailored jackets and structured dresses." When I started in 2013, there was a very clear perception of what a designer from the Northeast was expected to represent: handloom, craft, tradition ," she says. Today, "people are beginning to engage with the design language rather than only its geographic origin".Celebrity outings by Jacqueline Fernandez and Shilpa Shetty have helped the brand. The real impact is…

…pants and traditional wrap skirts mixed with colourful western tops alone are a testament to the fact. The region also witnessed the Korean wave in 2008, almost a decade before the rest of the country did. " It's just that the region was isolated or ignored ," he says.That isolation is beginning to crack. The trickle of national interest in the Northeast's fashion, food, music, festivals and culture has become a steady stream, helped by travel, pop culture and social…

…when Joel Sailo started doodling on T-shirts and friend-turned-business-partner Amos Lalremtuariga marketed them. The duo eventually returned to Aizawl to build a streetwear brand looking beyond "Northeastern craft". " We want an Indian brand with a global sensibility ," says Lalremtluanga.Kohima-based Akali Kibami's Li-Mheghi takes another route with handmade products. "There is a difference between genuinely appreciating brands from the Northeast and simply looking for something…

…build a streetwear brand looking beyond "Northeastern craft". "We want an Indian brand with a global sensibility," says Lalremtluanga.Kohima-based Akali Kibami's Li-Mheghi takes another route with handmade products. " There is a difference between genuinely appreciating brands from the Northeast and simply looking for something with an ethnic or tribal motif ," she says. Social media now brings Li-Mheghi interest from outside the region, including global orders.WHO’S BUYING?Even though the Northeast is the primary market of these brands, demand is increasingly coming from…

…capital, buyers and industry networks," she says.Ura Maku's Manjushree Saikia retails from The Canvas, a multi-brand fashion and design retailer in New York City, and has held her first pop-up in London this year: " There is greater awareness now; people want to know more about the textiles ," she says, but calls it more curiosity than demand at this point. Ura Maku, meaning fly shuttle, started in 2018. Saikia was among the Gen Next designers at the 2019 Lakme Fashion Week and won a Grazia Young Fashion…

…the 2019 Lakme Fashion Week and won a Grazia Young Fashion Award that year. Her eri silk jackets and hakama trousers remain bestsellers.134514164The numbers may be uneven, but the interest is encouraging. Zimik says: " It tells me that our aesthetics don't need to be explained only as something regional; they can communicate more universally when presented through a contemporary design language ".SMOOTH SAILING? NOT YETBuilding a fashion label from the region, however, comes with its own challenges. Tribe Fiction knows it well. Lalremtluanga says the label gets plenty of enquiries from customers outside the…