We recently connected with Smaranika Sarangi and have shared our conversation below.

Smaranika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you identified some of your key partners/vendors and how you made those relationships work?

Story: Every Indian state has unique handloom and weaving techniques that contribute to the rich heritage of the country. My roots are from the eastern Indian state of Odisha which is known worldwide for its historical richness in traditional weaving for generations. Ikat, also known as ‘poetry on the loom’ is an exquisite fabric created by a resist dyeing technique and produced by an intricate process called the “bandha” in which warp and weft threads are tie-dyed to produce the pattern on the loom prior to weaving. Through my brand, I aim to redefine ethnic and western wear with a contemporary touch which is an amalgamation of creativities from two different traditions, and share Indian culture and heritage in everyday clothing with style and elegance.

I started searching for a source for the Ikat fabrics in Odisha and in the process got connected to the village weavers who are artisans belonging to a legacy of more than 10 generations. I was moved and inspired by the hard work and detailing that they do for every piece of cloth that they produce. But, they do not get remunerated as per the massive amount of effort they put in their work. Also their business involves a lot of middlemen who are hinderance to their personal and financial growth. I decided to work directly with them and make a difference in their day to day living and make my brand purpose driven in the process. This helps in the upliftment of the low-income strata of village weavers, mostly women. It gives me immense satisfaction and happiness to bring a smile on their face and simultaneously grow my brand. As I work directly with them, they create unique design patterns on the fabrics exclusively for me which are not available in any store/marketplace.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a PhD in Microbiology and few years back, I discovered my passion for fashion design by drawing inspiration from my love for handicrafts. To me, fashion is one of the most powerful and communicable forms of personal expression. It is one of the rare art forms that can transform something beautiful into other, more beautiful creations. I am also motivated by the look, feel, and aesthetics of being able to manipulate fabric through draping.

Through my work I want to merge tradition with modernity and redefine fashion by combining timeless artisan skills with contemporary aesthetics. I want to make sustainable fashion a mainstream rather than niche. My aim is to preserve and promote the legacy of handwoven craftsmanship, especially elevating the roles of women weavers. In the process, my goal is to create a worldwide community that values the stories, cultures, and human connections behind each garment and inspire individuals to connect deeply with themselves, encouraging them to embrace and express their unique identities through fashion. My vision is to position the brand as a catalyst for societal change, empowering underrepresented artisans and promoting conscious consumerism.

My Brand is Indo-Western style created using sustainable fabrics (IKAT) from the state of Odisha, India. It aims to redefine ethnic and western wear with a contemporary touch which is an amalgamation of creativities from two different traditions, and share Indian culture and heritage in everyday clothing with style and elegance. Using extensive draping techniques, my designs are contemporary, and asymmetric providing high quality and high fashion for modern professional women. Every fabric is uniquely crafted by artisans belonging to a legacy of more than 10 generations and is obtained directly from the weavers. My brand is purpose-driven, thereby helping in the upliftment of the low-income strata of village weavers, mostly women. The brand also aims to blend pure handwoven fabric and design giving aesthetics of elegance, sophistication, and uniqueness to every piece.

My brand would be appreciated by women, who like to be seen, be unique and look elegant, want the real sustainable fabric that will add value to their appearance. For example, caring for society, especially the poor artisan women who are not being valued enough for their work as per their skills. They would fall in love with the value they get back by being associated with my brand.

Highlights of my craft:
– Sustainable
– Easy to wear
– Elegant
– Asymmetric
– Contemporary
– Merges Tradition with Modernity
– Celebrates Artisanal Heritage
– Deepens Self-Connection
– Empower & Uplift Weavers
– High quality and High fashion
– Purpose Driven

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

1. Merge Tradition with Modernity: Redefine fashion by combining timeless artisan skills with contemporary aesthetics. 2. Sustainability as the Norm: Champion ethical and sustainable fashion, making it mainstream rather than niche.
3. Celebrate Artisanal Heritage: Preserve and promote the legacy of handwoven craftsmanship, especially elevating the roles of women weavers.
4. Foster Global Appreciation: Create a worldwide community that values the stories, cultures, and human connections behind each garment.
5. Deepen Self-Connection: Inspire individuals to connect deeply with themselves, encouraging them to embrace and express their unique identities through fashion.
6. Empower & Uplift: Position the brand as a catalyst for societal change, empowering underrepresented artisans and promoting conscious consumerism.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My unique creativity and designs.

I started my journey as a fashion designer very recently and was looking for opportunities to showcase my work. I was not getting many opportunities as the market was still recovering from the pandemic. In July, 2023 I came across an upcoming fashion show by Fashion Community Week, San Francisco and sent my designs to them. Being a newcomer to the industry I was not 100% confident that my designs will get selected. But to my pleasant surprise, they were. After the fashion event, I got a massive amount of good feedbacks on the uniqueness and creativity of my designs and was approached by another fashion company, Silicon valley Fashion Week, to participate for their upcoming fashion show. In a span of two months my designs got featured in two highly reputed fashion events. Based on the feedbacks and responses I received from this event, I understood that there is a huge potential in the market for my craft.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drape.dead.elegance/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smaranika-sarangi-0a118943/