Paromita banerjee biography of donald
I enter this dialogue as a creative individual, attempting to strike a balance between the contemporary (analogous to digital) and the traditional (analogous to analog) within the context of how we operate.I have always liked most things antique; places with character, crumbling walls and towers as opposed to sleek cosmopolitan neighborhoods; places exuding an old-world charm. I fail to understand those who find them tacky, dirty and “old” –hence meant for disposal or renovation. A lot of us who fall in this category (and I know there is a big category of “us”) would not embrace new developments with open arms as quickly as things continue moving towards digitization and mechanization.The context of our brand, and myself as a designer begins at a grass roots level. Ours has always been a context which stems from a local approach to global aesthetics. One where our weaver clusters around the country form the backbone, becoming the canvas behind each of our collections, rooted in the handloom sector of India. This forms our medium of communication. Without them, our “craft” is contextually irrelevant. The usage of handloom fabrics where the imperfections in the nature of the weave make each outfit unique, the garments that are produced at the end of each collection emphasize the feel of the “hand-made” and finds its place in any Indian or pan-Indian global context.
Ours has always been a context which stems from a local approach to global aesthetics.
One takes many things for granted in life, simply because they are readily available. For instance, the internet, with its progression and accessibility – and the fact that life is so much easier with it. When we work with the weaver clusters we have faced numerous instances where they are not remotely aware of anything regarding the internet. Not being able to share our ideas and sketches with them, having to courier everything can become tedious, especially when you are used to having instant access otherwise. I
How fashion designer Paromita Banerjee balances work and life
At home
Since weekdays are crazy days at the studio, early mornings at home are me-times. I kickstart the day with my morning cup of tea and the daily newspaper. I feel my day is incomplete if I don’t catch up on news! This is also the time I make notes on things to do for the day ahead. I am a voracious reader, I enjoy browsing through my ever-expanding bookshelves, which are not arranged in any particular sequence. This is my favourite corner of the home and you will find Jeffrey Archer mixing with Richard Branson and Michael Palin bonding with Fiona Caulfield or Rohinton Mistry! I especially love arranging and rearranging the shelves in my free time. Being in a fast-paced industry and being one’s own boss has its own challenges. I usually carry work back home, but my cosy home gives me ample space to relax and just be.
At work
A typical work day starts with attending or making phone calls in the car on my way to the studio. The 40-minute drive gives me time to make work calls or fix meetings for the day. Besides retailing, we also do bespoke tailoring, so my client appointments keep me busy throughout the week. On reaching office, I usually run through the production schedule with my assistant and fix delivery timelines for the upcoming week. Since we work on handwoven fabrics, I need to place orders with our weavers across India, at least six-eight months in advance, so a very productive day for me would be to be able to sit in peace and sketch out the fabric samples on grid sheets for our weavers to replicate them on fabric. Checking dummy fits for new samples are a regular affair when new collections are underway. We have started our autumn-winter 2015 production from our Boro Part II ramp collection that we showcased at Amazon India Fashion Week in March. Each day is a new challenge since we are a very hands-on brand, rooted and dynamic.
The selfie project: A feature Paromita Banerjees offerings are quite like her, they get under your skin with their sagacious charms, as aut-winter 2015, for her is a celebration of Boro and indigo dyeing By Asmita Aggarwal She goes for heritage walks, photographs all her campaigns, does costumes for theatre and believes in the power of Part IIs in life. Not what you would traditionally expect a designer to do and this is why the petite Paromita Banerjee from Kolkata, kind of wins you over almost instantly. She will tell you, in a flash, that she has so many unsaid stories to narrate that she decided to revisit her 2013 line Boro, (a Japanese concept that uses patched textiles, mostly indigo dyed, a 17 century tradition followed by peasants), which is now gaining steam. Boro II, the title of Paromitas aut-winter 2015 offering has also emerged from her love for recycling and upcycling. I made hand-made paper out of fabric, which I converted into book covers, we also made buttons, latkans (hangings), and used the Kanguri technique (triangular seams to join two sheets of fabric) excessively, done all from scrap. Scrap became precious for me and it was making beautiful things out of nothing, she explains. She has also taken the leap of faith and continued her journey with indigo dyeing, which began with her trials with Ajrak last season and this line includes Bagh printing (traditional hand block prints from Madhya Pradesh), which she has dexterously combined with patchwork elements. The collection is neatly bracketed in four parts—patchwork, textured khadi, quintessential Lal Par (Bengali saris worn during Durga puja) and a combination of different weaves harmoniously blended together (matka silks, zari, linen, tussar woven in a manner that what emerges has an endearing texture). I have clients, who come from the UK and say that they want to wear a kurta or a sari, but not the conventional way, rather in a more global manner so that it does not overtly display their Asian id .