FASHION DESIGN OF AESTHETIC ACCLAIM
Sanjay Garg at Rithihi and PR
Renowned Indian designer Sanjay Garg collaborated with esteemed local fashion retail spaces, Rithihi and PR in celebrating the tenth anniversary of his design label Raw Mango in Sri Lanka. Titled ‘Two stores, two perspectives, one designer’, the showcasing took place on the thirtieth of November to the first of December 2018. As the only Indian designer whose creations were featured at the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) fashion exhibit, ‘Items: Is Fashion Modern?’ in October 2017, Sanjay carries a profound identity as a designer who merges tradition with the cutting edge contemporary aesthetic. Strengthening his design ethos, Valli Mohideen of Rithihi and Annika Fernando of PR, reflected on the manner in which retail spaces contribute, nurture and sustain the designer’s unique artistic agenda.
Sanjay’s collections throughout the years have been an aesthetic pursuit in search of deeper meaning. Sanjay’s most recent collection, titled ‘Heer’ exudes the aesthetics of a shared culture before the partition of Punjab. Textiles draw from vintage archival Varanasi silk brocades featuring motifs that gain meaning through history, culture and context. Weaving the intimacy felt in the event of a wedding, ‘Heer’ is a nostalgia of a home that existed in Punjab, the stories of a history and a composite culture that come to life through fashion. Interestingly, his collection ‘Cloud People’ (2017) presents a visual narration through photographs that subsume a celestial and mystical nature. These photographs were taken in Meghalaya, which translates to “the abode of clouds” almost as if Sanjay’s ‘Cloud People’ is an ode to the unexplored mystique of India.
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