INDIAN FASHION

There are many countries in the world, but few have an ancient, traditional and diverse, a culture, than India.

Indian civilisation stretches back over 10,000 years and as time continues to progress, so do peoples ideologies on how one should dress. This has led to an ever-changing fashion industry, where all of India’s splendours are portrayed in the rich, vibrant and diverse range of clothing.

From Punjab to Gujarat, to Madras in the south, the Indian fashion industry has affected cultures all over the world, both in the East and West. Where the East continue to wear more traditional clothing, such as salwar kameez and saris, the West have developed on these traditions and created a whole new blend of clothing, Indo-Western, to be in sync with both cultures. The Sainick™ range is a fine example of the new concept of Indo-Western clothing, which has evolved to satisfy the needs of people in the West; who wish for more modern and personal styles, yet yearn to still be in line with their traditions.

Sainick™ have effectively reduced the gap between East and West, to provide clothing which is engineered in India but with a Western influence.

In today’s fashion industry, Sainick™ has recognised the modernisation in fashions, and in turn offers a newer and more exotic range of fabrics such as crepe, satin and chiffon to compliment the growing number of modern designs and material colours. As people yearn for more intricate designs to their clothing, needlework has itself evolved to provide people with different finishes, from hand to machine embroidered, to using thread, stonework and sequence embroidery.

INDIAN CLOTHING IN MORE DEPTH

THE SARI:

The sari is a timeless, historic item of clothing which as has an interesting history within itself. The word itself is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘sati’ which literally means ‘strip of cloth’, over 7000 years ago. This was later modified into ‘sari’.

In essence the sari is simply a measure of material roughly six yards big. However it is the style of wearing and design which makes the sari unparalleled to any other clothing item out there. The most common style (nivi style) of draping the sari is around the waist, where one end is draped over the shoulder. However with India being a vast country and with many cultural variations, it has meant different regions of India adhere to slightly different techniques to wearing the sari.

The ‘choli’ (blouse) is an important piece of the sari outfit and is often a midriff-baring blouse which matches the design of the sari. The choli is tightly cut to fit the body, with short sleeves and a low neck line, and is usually cropped to expose the navel. Contemporary Indo-Western styles include sari designs where the choli have cut-out backs and front opening buttons, though there are many other features available.

THE SALWAR KAMEEZ:

The salwar kameez is a traditional dress compromising of the salwar (loose trousers) and the kameez (shirt or tunic) and is worn by both men and women across the world. The word is derived from the Arabic word ‘pants’ and is commonly an item of clothing popular all over Asia including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Punjab and India.

Trousers tend to be wide at the top and narrow at the bottom and are pleated at the waist, held up by drawstring. Though incredibly simple they offer maximum comfort as they are extremely lightweight and trouble-free. Tunics tend to be long, reaching the knees in most designs, and usually cut straight and flat.

As an addition to this item, there is also a piece called a ‘duppatta’. The duppatta is a long shawl or scarf which goes around the neck and over the kameez. For some the duppatta enables women to be able to cover their heads in temples or in public but for many others it is simply a stylish accessory which can be worn as one pleases. Today dupatta tend to be just as intricately designed as the kameez, and many fabrics such as bandhani, silk and georgette are used to increase the fashionable look.

THE PUNJABI SUIT:

The Punjabi suit is a configuration based on the origins of the Salwar Kameez, and can also be known to be called the ‘Pathani suit’.. Where the salwar kameez term is more common in the areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan the Punjabi suit is a item of clothing associated with India and in particular, Punjab. Both however in reality are similar.

Like the Salwar Kameez, the Punjabi suit is made up of the kameez (shirt) and the salwar (pants) and come with a duppatta, a piece of colourful cloth that is worn around the neck.

Latest Punjabi suits from India come in a huge variety colours and designs and there are many designers who specialise primarily in Punjabi suits as the demand for them are extremely high.

THE CHURIDAR:

The word ‘Churidar’ is derived from Hindi, ‘churi’ (bangle) and ‘dar’ (like).

Churidar are tightly fitting trousers worn by both men and women. Similar to the concept of the salwar kameez, the churidar however differs in that it offers narrow trousers rather than the more conventional looser ones. Trousers are cut slim so the outline shape of the legs are revealed more and is usually made of material which stretches to enable ease of leg movement.

THE SHERWANI:

The sherwani is a long coat like garment common in South Asia, similar to an Achkan, and worn over the kurta and churidar. It is the national dress for Pakistan, and its popularity has spread all over the world.

The sherwani coat fits tightly to the body, and is fastened with buttons, extending to slightly below the knees; though people have their own preferences as to how long the length should be. Many modern designed sherwani are embroidered or detailed in some way, however the plain outfits still remain the popular choice of today.

THE KURTI/KURTA:

The ‘Kurti’ is a word borrowed from Hindi, and originally Persian. Literally it means a ‘collarless shirt’.

The kurti is an extremely popular item of clothing, admired in all parts of the world. It is a loose shirt, falling either just below the knees or just near the waistline. The latter is more common in the West and with Indo-Western clothing, and today we see all different sorts of shapes and sizes, determined by personal taste.

The garment can be worn by both men and women, though women’s kurti tend to have more elaborate designs and colours to them. The fantastic feature of kurti is that they can be worn with nearly anything, from trousers to jeans to skirts. Their simple design and practically make them extremely desirable, and in the West they are extremely popular as people can wear modern clothing and still have the traditional Eastern feel to them.

Most kurti are composed of rectangular fabric pieces, often cut very simply but decorated to make up for style. Sleeves tend to fall straight to the wrist, and have a tendency not to be cuffed. A traditional kurti would not have a collar, however in Indo-Western clothing there are many styles which do include collars such as the ‘Nehru’ collar and the ‘Mandarin’ collar; again all depending on tastes and requirement’s.