Colors And Fabric Of Northeast India on Ramp

Shillong society to showcase handloom in three cities

A model in traditional attire

Shillong, Jul 27 : The colors and cultures of the Northeast, as defined in its array of attires, will be woven together in a show styled the Magical Threads of the Northeast to be held here from Wednesday.

The Fashion Society, Shillong, is showcasing the event to help fashion designers and models popularize the handloom tradition of the region in three cities — Shillong, Calcutta and Mumbai.

This is the first time that the Shillong-based Fashion Society, which was formed in 1983 to promote beauty and fashion in the Northeast and continues to organize the annual Miss Shillong beauty pageant, has organized an event of this kind.

The Society’s chairman, Aldous Mawlong, today said the event would highlight the uniqueness of the Northeast by focusing on its handloom and weavers.

He said the Society would bring Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura under one roof by showcasing the attires of the states on the platform.

In Shillong, the four-day event will be held at the All Saints Cathedral Hall. Similar events will be held at Swabhumi, Salt Lake, Calcutta, from August 4 to 7 and in Mumbai, the date of which will be announced later.

Mawlong said the theme of the event would be — Where tribal tradition meets modernity.

“By showcasing the Magical Threads of the Northeast, our intention is to create more awareness about the tribal weavers who weave their folk stories and culture in their shawls or garments.

“Look at the shawls of the Naga tribes where one can see stories of forefathers woven. The motifs in the shawls tell the folks stories, tradition and culture of a tribe,” Mawlong said.

The tribes of the Northeast have inhabited the hills here for centuries, living, breathing and communicating with nature. Their stories and folklores are woven in their handloom, crafts, music and cuisine.

According to the Fashion Society, the Northeast still needs to be explored with passion. The beats, chants, dialects and attires of the region are akin to the Red Indians of North America, the Karens of Myanmar and the Cambodians.

Mawlong said the event, sponsored by the Union ministry of textile in collaboration with the Meghalaya Directorate of Sericulture and Weaving, will focus on tradition and fusion to popularise the traditional handloom of the Northeast.

“We want to explore the handlooms of the lesser known tribes or sub-tribes of the Northeast. At the same time, fusion of tradition with modern trends is the need of the hour,” Mawlong said.

Fusion helps fashion designers to be creative with designs, which, in turn, will give more commercial value to the products.

“We are organizing the event in Calcutta and Mumbai so that the audience can have better knowledge of weaving tradition of the Northeast,” Mawlong said. Besides educating people on the culture of the Northeast, the event will also integrate the region with the mainland.

The big cities will also give the fashion designers and models from the Northeast more exposure, Mawlong added.

Jagriti Nengnong, a former Miss Shillong runner-up and the secretary of Fashion Society, will choreograph the event which will feature designers like Duncan Kharbudon, Yana Ngoba, H. Lalnunpuii, C. Lalthenmawia, Suman Karki Chetri, Rosuo Rhi and Pramjit Lal Salam.

The best models of the Northeast will scorch the ramp with an array of handloom apparels.

The event will be spiced up by entertainers like Gary Ropmay, Vancouver Shullai, Karen Nongpyiur, Sara Syiemlieh, Genevieve Khongjee, the Strait brothers, Dwar and the St Edmunds Choir. Khasi cuisine and wine are expected to give the event a new high.