Melbourne-based fashion label Mastani is set to debut its ‘Collection 13: Heritage’ at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney on May 14.
As part of the production of its Heritage collection, the six-year-old fashion label partnered with Indian-based textile upcycler Paiwand Studio. Mastani sent over 1,000 kilograms of textile offcuts and trimmings collected from the last six years of garment production to the studio, which then upcycled them into new fabrics using conventional Indian hand-looms.
Other key fabrics that will be showcased on Mastani’s runway include the label’s hand-loomed ‘peace’ silks, as well as its hand-marbled and hand-dip-dyed silks.
All of Mastani’s garment construction is done at its in-house atelier in Bengaluru, India. According to founder Kudrat Makkar, it took more than a year to teach her artisans to use the methods for the Heritage collection.
“The Heritage collection has been designed to empower - we want to dress freely and boldly, embracing colour and depicting the full feminine glory while shattering the patriarchy,” Makkar said.
“I work closely with skilled artisans and am guided by their artistic hands and knowledge, which forever inspire me.
“Together, we seek ways to incorporate traditional techniques into this collection to keep me connected to the spirit and heritage of my Indian culture.”
Mastani sells via a dedicated online store and at its Melbourne flagship boutique in Armadale. The Heritage collection will be available in November.
The fashion label’s AFW runway show will be produced by IMG Focus.