STUDENT’S SPOTLIGHT: Draperies of the Kushan Era

The spotlight for this month at Whistling Woods Neeta LullaSchool of Fashion was on the Kushan Draping Style by our students. Guided by Jashika Ratanpal, textle designer one of our faculty members, our students have created garments inspired from the Kushan era.

The Kushan era spanned across centuries and covered a large geographical area including parts of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North India and had influences of Buddhism and its followers. Culturally, the Kushan Empire borrowed a lot from Buddhist and Greek cultures and seamlessly wove in the brilliance in their sartorial creations.

The Costumes

The Kushan (Indo-scythian) dress had evolved from a nomad culture based on the use of the horse. Drapery is stylized in the early period, and they are in stark contrast to the second style, which is typified by the Gandhara and Mathura schools of Kushan art.

The ordinary dress consisted of an antariya, uttariya and kayabandh, with a turban for men. But the arrival of the Kushans extended the fashion of wearing sewn garments with all classes of Indians in north India. 

Kushan costumes may be divided into five types:

·         Antariya, Uttariya, and Kayabandh- Worn by Indigenous people

·         Kancuka, red-brown in color- Worn by guardians and attendants of the harem

·         Garments with embellishments worn by Kushan rulers and their entourage  

·         Rich fabrics Worn by other foreigners such as grooms, traders, etc

·         A mixture of different fabrics - Worn by foreign and indigenous people

Although, the clothes were simple, they were often adorned with stamped gold or metal plates, square, rectangular, circular, or triangular sewn in lines or at the central seams of the tunic.

To gain a holistic idea of drapery of Kushna civilization, our students draped mannequins in styles prevalent during that era and further, to get inspired by the cultural richness and take forward the essence while designing a modern day drape.

Our students found this activity engaging and enjoyed along with learning more about the Indian historic costumes.   

Understanding Fashion Journalism with Meher Castelino

When we say Fashion Journalism- it practically means all published information on fashion including critique, reporting and writing. We at Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion believe in cultivating this stream of Journalism among aspiring students of fashion through guidance of the best in the industry. Meher Castelino, the first ever Miss India (1964), fashion journalist, mentor and adviser with the our fashion school, shared her experience and insight on Fashion Journalism.

What is the significance of Fashion Journalism?

Fashion Journalism educates people about what is happening in the world of fashion- the fabrics, the trends, the innovations, the business of fashion. It practically works as an avenue to the fashion industry for aspirants, patrons and all those who believe in the art.

How is the concept of Fashion Journalism different today?

Fashion Journalism in the digital age is more liberal and widespread today, with faster communication and instant information shared with the consumers. However, I must also say that fashion journalism is also a little irresponsible today, with more freedom of speech. Anyone who can write writes about fashion without having in depth knowledge of the subject. So if you want to use the power of journalism in fashion, you need to do so positively.

What does it take to become a fashion journalist? Is a formal education necessary?

As I mentioned, to be able to write about fashion, you need to be well versed with the subject. You have to be a designer first, be educated enough about the fashion industry and then become a Fashion Journalist. You must know the difference between a ‘placket’ and a ‘pocket’ before you can even talk about fashion.

To successfully achieve the same, you need to have a formal education. You cannot write a sentence in English if you have not studied the alphabets. Similarly, a fashion degree/course helps you understand the language first so you can converse in the same in future.

What is the perception of ‘fashion’ among the young designers of India?

The younger generation perceives the fashion industry as full of glamour and glitz, gorgeous clothes, meeting beautiful people and of course profitable businesses. But what people miss is that is a lot of hard work, long term commitments that require undying passion and calls for a lot of stressful moments. The true role of a Fashion Journalist is to bring out the real essence of the industry to the people.

Inter ‘Pret’ ing High Street Fashion with Anita Dongre

When we talk about fashion, we usually think ‘couture’. With brands like AND, Global Desi, AD Man, IInterPret and Timeless, Anita Dongre, has redefined High Street Fashion in India. One of India’s trendiest designers, Anita has rightly captured the fashion sentiment of the 21^st century generation.  In conversation with the Whistling Woods - Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, she shared what it takes to be a designer for couture versus pret.

Q. What in your opinion are the fundamental challenges in designing Haute Couture versus Pret-e-Porte?

Honestly, both require an equal amount of skill, creativity and design aesthetic. The only possible difference would be the time required to create a bespoke ensemble compared to pret.

Q. How has high street fashion in India evolved in the last decade?

In India, high street fashion has grown by leaps and bounds. With innumerable brands in the market, the competition is healthy and it drives each brand or designer to cater effectively to the changing style sensibilities of consumers. To me, it’s more high fashion than high street, since the styles, cut, colors are in sync with the trend and new styles hit the shelves more frequently than a decade ago. 

Q. What should an aspiring designer look for while creating clothes targeted to high street fashion?

Wear-ability, versatility and affordability are the keys to a high fashion label. With so many choices available to a consumer today, your designs should offer that “extra” bit; the Indian woman today seeks versatility in her ensembles and that too at guilt-free prices. Combine great styles, comfortable silhouettes and functionality- and you got yourself a winner! 

Q. Do you think a professional education is important to become a fashion designer? Why?

An in-depth professional course always helps hone your creative skills. The projects and assignments you are given help you prepare better for a career in fashion design. If you have the talent and the right attitude then there’s no stopping you when it comes to professional opportunities. So yes, an education is always helpful. 

Q. A piece of advice for young fashion enthusiasts and aspiring designers.

There is no substitute to hard work and commitment. You must have passion and dedication for this craft and a ‘never-say-die’ approach. Let your imagination run limitless and stay abreast of global trends and styles and imbibe as much as you can from the seniors in the industry.

STUDENT’s SPOTLIGHT: Designing for the STAGE

We at the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, pride in providing hands-on exposure to our designing students. On December 6, the Acting Department at Whistling Woods staged a play “Kauwa Chala Hans Ki Chaal’, for which our fashion students designed the entire costumes.

Cast of 'Kauwa Chala Hans Ki Chaal', Pelicula auditorium, Whistling Woods

The play, an adaptation of the 'The Bourgeois Gentleman', was guided and directed by Feroz Zahid Khan, faculty of Acting Department at the institution.

The costumes were made vibrant and colorful, to match the subtle backdrop of the stage. The style was contemporary with a vintage touch, with balloon sleeved shirts and boots just to add a flavor of the original play.

The budding designers and stylists of our fashion school 

had a gala time dressing up the cast. Rashmi Thakur, one of our fashion pupil, was all gaga about the experience.Bottom of Form

“The styling experience was just awesome. We got to learn that styling for play is different that styling models on the ramp. 

                                                  While short-listing the garments for each character we had to 

keep in mind that it should be comfortable as well, since the actors have to stay on stage for an hour and it could get tiring. 

Besides all this, we also needed to focus on the color co-ordination to ensure it matched the theme of the sets and all characters were in sync. I definitely enjoyed styling the actors and look forward to being involved in more such plays in future” 

When Fashion gets ‘FOSSIL’-ized

When a designer is a nature lover and has affinity towards flora and fauna, it reflects in his/her designs. Nachiket Barve is one such young designer who loves the wildlife and incorporates the same in his work whether it is through designs, patterns, fabrics, embellishments or other works. 

His Spring/Summer 2014 Collection, 'FOSSIL' is inspired by prehistoric Gingko trees, extinct dragonflies, spiral mollusks and similar. Fossils of leaves, textures of rocks like granite and marble, are the highlight of this collection.

Design base

Keeping the season in mind, Nachiket indulged in soft, neutral tones like ivories, chalk, oatmeal, sandstone, beige, silver grey, nude, old rose etc, with interplay of light and shade, thus giving the ensemble a tonal feel. 

The fragility and frailness of fossils are artistically interpreted through sheer fabrics like chiffon, crepe, georgette, organza, raw and spun silk (Chanderi and Dupion) and cotton, making the collection perfect for Indian summer!

Techniques

Through applique work, intricate bead-work,fine bullion embroidery, gossamer like thread-work, Fossil brings out the exoticism of prehistoric wildlife. The garments in this collection use stitches that create perforations on the fabric, making it light and airy for the warm weather.

Silhouettes

FOSSIL silhouettes are very contemporary with crop tops, long, flowing dresses, cropped pants, palazzos etc and are layered , with detailing like tassels, translucence, sleeve inserts, custom-made shoes of the same fabric  and lot of focus on skirts.Nachiket designed the ensembles as separate pieces so they can be independently used or mixed and matched to give an individualistic look!

So let’s get FOSSIL-ized next Summer! 

STUDENT’s SPOTLIGHT: Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour 2013

We at Whistling Woods Neeta LullaSchool of Fashion ensure our student’s get ample hands-on experience with the eminent names of the fashion industry.

The Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour 2013, was an event to remember, with the who’s who of the fashion industry and ace designers like Gavin Miguel, Suneet Verma, Vikram Phadnis, JJ Vallaya and Neeta Lulla herself, showcasing their exclusive collection for the show. 

Gaviin Miguel opened the show with his collection of long, flowing cocktail dresses, split into three sequences, followed by Suneet Verma with his exquisite collection of anarkalis and shararas, inspired by the vintage royalty.

Our students were privileged to be a part of the glitz, glamour and grandeur by assisting the designers backstage and interview some of the designers as well. 

Some fascinating experience it sure was for the budding designers! 

Bharti, a fashion student found the 2^nd and 3^rd sequence of Gavin pretty ‘challenging’ because she thought the dresses were ‘complicated’! 

The second day of the 2 day event saw leading designers like Vikram Phadnis , Neeta Lulla and JJ Valaya.

Vikram's collection was an amalgamation of stylish jalabias, lehengas, kalidars with capes and kotis, patialas with tight fitted kurtis in blacks, ivories and cream colors.

Our very own Neeta Lulla flaunted the ramp with asymmetric cuts, cylindrical shapes and use of drapes and embellishment. Inspired from the look of 20s and 30s with muted colors, Neeta’s collection was a take away from The Great Gatsby.

JJ Valya presented his 'Maharaja of Madrid’ collection, a medley of Spanish and Indian influences. He signed off his show with actor Arjun Kapoor flaunting his designs.

Though a little challenging and fast paced, the excitement our students experienced and the exposure they received stayed beyond compare!

The West side trend:Gujarati Kediya

Fashion trend is not always about clothes, accessories and how they are worn but also a reflection of a certain culture and inspirations derived from the same. Being multicultural as India is, we see the emphasis of a particular ethnicity every fashion season.

The recently developed love affair of the fashion industry with Gujarat has led fashion designers to redefine ethnic clothing. The same gets reflected in current Indian cinema and fashion shows. Patchworks, mirror-works, handloom fabrics, bandhani (tie and dye, layered lehengas, contrast cholis and use of playful, flamboyant color schemes, are the highlights of Gujrati tradition in fashion.

Traditional Kediya

Another significant aspect of Gujrat’s influence on Indian style is the Kediya garment of the Kutch region. The short, cross-over jacket like dress, fitted high waist and then flaring out, is a silhouette and garment suited to the harsh climatic conditions of the Kutch and makes a perfect western silhouette for women’s wear and in some cases for men.

This influence of the Kediya has largely reflected in the costumes of the recent Hindi film ‘Ramleela’ by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Cinema and fashion always go hand in hand and influence each other. The current fashion season sees a lot of Kediya influence with layered and flaring fabrics and vibrant colors, which were prominent in Deepika Padukone’s exquisite lehengas with heavy ethnic embroideries with subtler bottom layers in contrast colors.

Designer Anju Modi has successfully created an ethnic visual delight to with its robust colors set against blacks, ivories and reds. The effects are exquisite with contrasting colors and fabrics, silver work printing, dabka, zari embroidery and more.

Kediya also has a significant influence on works of other ace designers like Abraham and Thakore, Anupama Dayal, Rahul Misra, Manish Arora. Abraham and Thakore’s Chanel-style kedia skirt-suits, Pia Pauro’s mirron work kaftans are examples to look forward to.

Beyond the borders, ethnic influence of Gujrat is also showcased in the global Spring/Summer 2014 shows with celebrated designers like Valentino, Dries Van Notesn, Emilo Pucci and Diesel.

The ABCs of Indian textiles- Jacquard Fabrics

Fabrics are broadly divided into Handloom (hand woven) and Jacquard (woven in power looms). While hand-loom fabrics are simply woven with clear warps and wefts, Jacquard are characterized by complex woven –in designs, with repetitive patterns all throughout and tapestry effects.

Jacquard Fabrics

Fabrics that are made in Jacquard are broadly –

Brocade- Woven with solid or multicolored silk threads, brocades are richly decorative fabrics and suitable for heavy apparel and outerwear; hence an all time favorite of designers. The addition of a supplementary weft gives the illusion of ‘embossing’ on the cloth.

Damask- Damask fabric is a reversible kind, with mostly geometric, floral, foliage, scrolls and ornamental motifs. It has a subtle sheen that is evident when light reflects on the surface and hence best suited for decor, heavy festive garments and costumes.

Brocatelle- Brocatelle is a high yarn count fabric closely similar to brocade but made in high relief. The puffed appearance of patterns make them best suitable for upholsteries, draperies and general décor.                                        

Dobby- Dobby is a patterned fabric and characterized by unique geometric patterns and extra texture on the cloth. It is often considered a tad fancy and comes is all patterns, colors, weights and textures.

Checks & Stripes- Woven in any natural fabric with blends like polyester, twill etc, checks and stripes are created with alternating warps and wefts in contrast color threads. Stripes range from tiny pinstripes to 6 inch stripes while checks can be of any sizes. These fabrics have the widest usage in garments and light upholstery.

“In modern textile designing, Jacquard fabrics are more widely used and preferred by designers. The higher yarn counts of these fabrics open it up for embellishments, ornamentation and hence more scope for design. For draping, use Jacquard if you want a sturdy fabric and handloom textiles if you want a flowing, delicate drape”, suggests Jaishikha Ratanpal, faculty of draping and costume at the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion.

The ABCs of Indian textiles- Handloom fabrics

As trend would have it, Indian handloom textiles are sweeping the fashion scenario in the country. No matter what you design and how you do it, the basis of any garment is its fabric. And to choose your preferred fabric, you need to know and recognize them. Fabrics can either be hand woven in looms which we largely call ‘Handloom textiles’ and ’Jacquard textiles’, woven in machines or electronic looms. Handlooms textiles are the most sought after, traditional, made of natural fibers and hence valuable.

Handloom fabrics of India

Cotton- This is widely available and the most versatile fabric. Cotton one of the staple fabrics of India and is available in a variety of weaves, which makes all the difference to a basic cotton cloth. Because of its lightweight and easy adaptability, cotton fabrics are used abundantly by designers.

Silk- Naturally grown and cultivated, silk is one of the most traditional textiles and synonymous to Indian heritage. It is known for its luster, elegance and affluence attached to it. Contrary to the general notion, silk is a tough fabric of high grade and adds richness to any garment.

Linen- Known as the ‘King of Fabrics’, Linen is widely used for apparels, mostly western wear and formal clothing. Made from the fibers of ‘flax plant’, Linen is not only easy to maintain, but equally elegant in look and feel.

Wool- One of the most versatile natural textiles, wool can be woven, knitted, processed, and blended and so on, to craft garments of all sorts. They are soft yet durable, tough yet classy and is used widely in apparel and accessories.

Jute & Hemp- India is the second largest producer of Jute and one of the staple fibers of the country. Though traditionally not used for garments, strong inclination to natural fabrics have led designers to integrate jute, hemp and jute blends in garment construction and give it a contemporary feel.

Student Spotlight- In conversation with Richa Shah

Richa Shah, scholarship winner of Whistling Woods InternationalNeeta Lulla School of Fashion, shares her story on how she became a part of our fashion academia and what made her opt for this career.

What aspect of Whistling Woods - Neeta Lulla School of Fashion appealed to you the most as an institute?

Richa: The combination of Whistling Woods International, Asia’s best media and entertainment institute, vigorously growing from the past decade and Neeta Lulla, the pioneer of fashion, appealed to me the most. It’s like everything under one umbrella. The whole idea and thought of educating students by the designer herself is very inspiring. She probably is the first of all the renowned designers, to establish a school of fashion, sharing her experiences and knowledge to aspiring designers. The exposure one will get here is like no other in the industry.

What made you opt for 'Fashion Design' studies?

Richa: Because it’s fun. This is the greatest platform for expressing your creative self. It’s all about self expression, like playing with fabrics, style, patterns, colors and so on. This is the best time for innovation, as people are readily accepting new and up-coming creations. It’s just not about the wearable garments, but taking ideas and innovations to their peak. Also, on a personal level, the Scholarship opportunity at Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion worked as a boost for me to opt for fashion studies.

How do you believe this Scholarship program will help you in your career?

Richa: Creativity alone is not enough to become an aspiring designer. To be able to successfully implement ideas and practice designing, lot of trials and errors and other resources are required, that can go beyond one’s means. A scholarship program as this will definitely enable me to explore all that is required for my education and pursue my dreams.

Which stream of fashion studies interests you the most?

Richa: Learning everything is vital to be a proficient designer. But my interest lies specifically in illustration. Visualizing an idea is more intriguing than actually making it. It’s the only form of art that brings your imagination to paper, actually developing things without any limitations, experimenting with colors and other props. With ace mentors at Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, I believe I will excel in this field.

Does ‘Corporate Wear with Indian Influence’, in your opinion, match the standard of 'Global Formal Wear'? If so, how?

Richa: Yes, it surely does, if applied in the right manner. The concept of ‘corporate dressing’ for Indians is a very western and formal concept. So a touch of 'Indianness' such as embroidery, traditional art etc would add spice and variety to it, without disturbing the basic nature of the garment.

What color swatches have you used and why?

Richa: Swatches for my creation are mostly in earthy and pastel tones to keep the elegance of designs alive. I majorly used only three tints and shades of blue, black and white and few tones of brown to it. The materials used were linen, jute, khadi etc. to add to bring an Indian influence to the designs.

The Essence of Illustration with Belinda Bawa

Belinda Bawa, designer, artiste, fashion researcher and currently a mentor of illustration at the Whistling Woods International Neeta Lull School of Fashion talks about significance of ‘Illustration’ in a designers’ life. With a versatile background and undying passion for innovation and creativity, Belinda Bawa ‘illustrates’ her knowledge and experience as an ‘illustrator’!

Where did you start and how did you get into ‘Fashion Illustration’?

Belinda: It all started with the design project of the film Devdas. Neeta was working on the costumes for the film and asked me to come up with dramatic and elaborate sari designs. I joined hands and that made all the difference for me.

Why is it essential to understand and learn illustration? How is it practically beneficial?

Belinda: You can’t express an idea without drawing it out. Even a basic designer needs to be able to illustrate the design to successfully communicate the concept to the tailor. Because unless you can portray your ideas properly, you cannot get clothes made properly.

How has the rise of digital media influenced fashion illustration?

Belinda: It definitely makes my life easier. It saves a lot of time and helps me with like erasing, color options, touch ups and other developmental work. However, the core of design for me would be paper and pencil and I don’t supplement it with digital media.

Illustration by Belinda Bawa

What scope does a fashion illustrator have?

Belinda: The scope for an illustrator is still limited in India but is growing no doubt. Fashion weeks nowadays demand good illustration and not just good clothes. Designers, film makers look for dramatic representation of a concept, which only an illustrator can do.

Is fashion education essential for ‘illustration’? If so, why?

Belinda: Yes, education is very important. You cannot draw what you don’t know. There are terminologies and concepts one needs to learn before transferring the thought to paper.

Illustration: Belinda

How would you define your style?

Belinda: My style is more fluid. My characters are mostly bold, with fluidity in movement and poses. I usually tend to mix traditional Indian styles with graphic, classic and dramatic.

1920s Illustration by Erte

What and who inspires your illustrations?

Belinda: Beauty- the Beauty of clothes, beauty of women and the beauty of the human anatomy. Works of Erte, Thierry Perez and Reuben Toledo are very inspiring. They are like Gods of illustration.

3 things you would suggest aspiring students to keep in mind while illustrating?

Belinda: Look, look and keep looking. Because your eyes always fool you. So observe everything around you and draw. Draw what you see, draw what you feel and draw whatever comes to your mind.

What scope or industry opportunity does fashion education from WWINLSF open up for aspirants?

Belinda: The students at our institute get to work in proximity to designers and film makers, which eventually will be their future clients. So they are already prepared with a platform to start their career.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT- Exploring ancient Egypt & India

The students at Whistling WoodsInternational-Neeta Lulla School of Fashion always go back in time to learn something new from the old. In an assignment last week, our freshman students explored ancient Egyptian and Indian clothing.

Egyptian civilization has always been looked upon as a benchmark of art, culture and style. The discovery of cotton and expensive fabrics like Linen, were a breakthrough by the Egyptians in the world of clothing and fashion, which still remains with us today.

Ancient Egyptian clothing was about richness of the fabric and ornamentation, yet simple in   construction and draping.

The men wore a wrap-round skirt that was tied at the waist with a belt. Sometimes the cloth was also wrapped around the legs. The length of the skirt varied depending on the period- short in the time of the Old Kingdom while in the Middle Kingdom they were calf length. In the New Kingdom period, pleated garments became fashionable.

Egyptian women wore full length straight dresses with one or two shoulder straps. The affluent class wore finer fabrics with embellishments. Jewelry and headdresses were a must for both men and women alike. The women wore dresses made from fine, translucent linen.

In another assignment, the students created ancient Indian costumes out of flowers and leaves. The challenge was that they had to source materials from whatever was available around the campus.

Ancient Indian men used to wrap a garment piece made of leaves around their wait and women would wear a skirt similarly made. They also used natural materials like fibers of the flax plant, reeds, etc to weave garments. Keeping this in mind, the students had to procure materials for constructing the costumes. 

Our students surely had a blast, working with materials sourced from the natural surroundings of the campus and recreating prehistoric clothing.

Color Concepts 101: Introduction to Color Theory

The most important aspect of design is to understand color and color theory. Contrasts, complementary, monochromes, color blocking, analogous, triadic are few concepts that one needs to be identified with before learning to design.

Image Courtesy: Google 

A new color combination can add innovation to an apparently dull wardrobe and can completely transform a look from season to season. Color theory is relevant to several aspects of style besides clothing as well. For example, to create an ensemble, one must understand what color concept it will represent.

The color wheel might seem intimidating initially, but comes in very handy for piecing together flattering and unique color combinations and helps a designer understand color relationships.

Hue is a color in its purest form.Tint, tone, and shade are all derivatives of Hue.

Tint = hue + white, tone = hue + grey, shade = hue+ black. 

These four elements are used to create the color your eyes see.

Once you know what the color wheel comprises of, you can do your own permutation and combinations and create infinite tints, tones and shades. From prints and patterns, to color blocking, accessories and everything in between there are millions of ways to use these combinations.

Color Concepts:

Monochromatic is a color combination that is comprised of just one color.

Complementary: These are colors directly across from each other on the color wheel. Because of their high contrast, as the name implies, they complement each other.

Analogous: Combinations of any three colors that are directly next to each other on the color wheel are analogous.

Split complementary: This color combination is achieved by taking a base color then pairing it with colors directly next to its adjacent color.

Triadic: Colors in groups of three colors that are all equidistant from each other on the color wheel.

The foundation of fashion design, a color wheel is just the beginning of a magical world of creation, innovation and invention. So enlighten yourself and go out there, explore, create make mistakes, and have fun!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT- Reliving SUMERIAN era

The spotlight of this week at the Whistling Woods - NeetaLulla School of Fashion was on the ‘Sumerian Costume Design’ by our freshman students. Under the guidance of Belinda Bawa, art design & illustration professional and one of our faculty, our students created prototypes of garments from the Sumerian era, as a part of their practical training on History of World Costumes and Clothing. 

The best part of this assignment was that the students had to use only discarded materials available on campus. The idea was to assess the creativity and ingenuity of the fashion aspirants and find innovation amidst regular yet limited resources.

The Sumerian Civilization has always been an interesting era of history, much talked about, especially for their rich art and culture. The innovative concepts in clothing and jewelry and their styling, made Sumerian fashion the most distinctive of their time. Even till today, designers get highly inspired by ancient civilizations and their sense of style.

The Sumerians had the most unique sense of clothing style of their era- the men were mostly bare-chested and wore skirt-like garments tied at the waist. Women usually wore gowns that covered them from shoulders to the ankles with the right arm and shoulder left uncovered. Headdresses were common among both men and women.

Garments and accessories made from naturally available resources made the Sumerians pioneers of ancient clothing. They used what was easily sourceable- like grains that they could harvest, wool, fur and skin from animals they reared, metals that were found in natural ores, and so on. They mostly used the fibers of the flax plant, leaves, sheep wool and cotton. Keeping this in mind, the freshman students of fashion used brown paper, cotton and similar materials to create Sumerian costumes. 

The students were divided in 2 groups of five people in each, where one was to design a male costume and the other designed a woman’s attire. They found this exercise very engaging and fun and it helped them get acquainted with the ‘History of World Costumes’ along with hands-on experience.