Fabrics Made in Nepal

"Forbid the use of cloth made  in India. Show samples to those who know how to make our cloth. Teach them and begin to make clothing. If this is done our money will not go abroad…." These lines are taken from the book ‘Prithvi Narayan Shah in the light of Dibya Upadesh’ by L.F. Stiller S.J. King Prithvi Naryan shah was a king with a vision who practiced what he preached. He wore Nepali homespun clothes and made his courtiers wear the same. But his legacy died with him. Brian Hodgson’s lines in his book ‘Essays on the languages, literature, and religion of Nepal and Tibet gives an ample testimony to this fact. "…the court annually consumes a considerable supply of brocaded goods of the finest quality." These goods came from neighbouring India and England. This book was published around 1830s when king Surendra reigned in Nepali. In just 65 years, counting from the year 1775 when king Prithvi Narayan Shah died, his successors forgot his dibya upadesh.

Traditional Nepali textiles face the threat of total replacement by foreign fabrics. The family of late Ratna Bir Singh Kansakar, is perhaps the only family left in Kathmandu that weaves and sells a variety of Nepali cotton clothes in the market. Kansakar’s grandson Prabodh says, "Nepali clothes have become clothes for tourists alone. Its consumption by the locals is minimum. There is no cotton consciousness among Nepali buyers."

The family of Kansakars have been into this textile business for more than half a century. They have weaving looms in their home and also collect fabrics woven by rural women of the villages in the outskirts of the Kathmandu valley. Previously rural houses had at least one loom per household but now only one house out of twenty-five keeps a loom. Basically women do the weaving when they can take respite from agricultural works. "When my grandfather started this scheme, he distributed looms and raw materials needed for weaving for free to the women in villages. He did this so that these grassroot level people could earn money and improve their standard of living," says Prabodh.

Till six years back, the Kansakars’ shop sold only Nepali textiles. Today they sell Chinese as well as Indian fabrics. There is a drastic fall in the demand for Nepali cotton textiles. Previously students, staff at various offices and colleges had to wear uniforms of Nepali fabrics compulsorily. It is no longer so. Chinese and Indian terrycotton and polyester have become common dress materials for uniform.

Prabodh points out that there are many drawbacks of Nepali cotton textiles. "Our materials are not fine. Colouring method is not good. People have less choice of colour and patterns. Due to these reasons we have not been able to compete with the imported textiles," he says. "Nevertheless the goodness of our local textiles should never be undermined. They keep one warm in winter and cool in summer. They are skin friendly and durable," he adds.

With the closure of ‘gharelu kapada’ store in Basantapur, Nepali handloom fabrics are difficult to obtain even if one wants to buy them. The Kansakars’ shop at Kel Tole, Machindra Bahal is the only shop in town, which sells the widest variety of Nepali fabrics. From khes, khadi, twacha to other finer homespun cotton fabrics, the store has a large variety to offer. The fabrics offer a medley of patterns. Colour choice is not limited. Somber grey, mute tones of brown and ivory, bold, loud hues of orange, red and yellow, the choice is large. You can stitch dresses with the fabrics like dhaka and khes to suit your taste or upholster your room with these cotton materials. After all, natural fabrics are in vogue today both for dressing materials and furnishing.

In today’s time it’s almost impossible and even impractical to follow Prithvi Narayan Shah’s dibya upadesh cited above, verbatim. But it is the responsibility of every Nepali citizen to help preserve and promote what has been ours’ since centuries.

Samyukta at the peak

Samyukta Shrestha needs no introduction to those who’ve watched Miss Nepal pageants or keep track of who’s who of Kathmandu fashion mart. Know more about the young lady who was at the peak at 17 and still reigning at the top with Pragya Rajouria

An unassuming lady with the right touch of confidence. You are surprised  to find that she is refreshingly devoid of all the quirks and ‘I have achieved this and that’ of the big achievers like her. She tells you how she didn’t feel like returning from her trip to Udaipur village where she had gone to do some research on homespun fabrics. "Women sweat hard on the looms for meager return. If only we could teach these women the pattern, colour combinations and designs that people in cities prefer, there will be a dramatic increase in fabrics they produce," she says.

The beautiful charcoal and water-colour paintings adorning the walls of her office surprises you even further. She explains that she was into drawings from the early childhood. "As a child also I drew human figures and faces. They always interested and intrigued me. After finishing my school, I wanted to pursue this field in a proper way. In search of a good art school I ended up joining Lakhotia institute of fashion at Pulchowk. I joined the course in fashion designing because I could draw and sketch. It was easy for me to pick fashion designing because it requires sketching, colour combination and lots of imagination," explains the designer.

When this lady made a mark in Kathmandu’s fashion circle with her creations for miss Nepal ’98 she was just seventeen. After this there has been no looking back for her. " To be where I am today, I had to overcome many hurdles and work really hard," she says. " I don’t participate in the fashion world rat race. I compete with myself and try to better my work each time. I try to bring out the best in myself in whatever I do," she explains.

Sanyukta’s clients range from housewives to film stars and ramp models. Her creations are marked by a strong sense of colour and wearibility. " I love to experiment in all designs. Creative change is the lifeline of fashion designing," she says showing pictures of a model dressed in monitor like top and keyboard like skirt. " When I design clothes for my clients I consider many things. I want them to look good and feel good when they wear my clothes. I never let people buy the wrong dresses when they come to my shop. It feels great when my customers look wow in my dresses," she adds.

Besides sketching and designing clothes, literature is Sanyukta’s another passion. " Guess what? I have joined M.A. classes in English so that I can read lots of fiction. The magic of Shakespearean dramas and keatsean poetry is bewitching," she says with a laugh. "Journalism is another profession I would love to pursue. I had taken journalism as one of the major subjects in Bachelors," she adds.

The young designer wants to conduct research in traditional clothes of ethnic communities like Tharus, Sherpas, and Gurungs. "I want to modify and glamorize them so that even the young and the trendy can find them fashionable and wearable," explains Sanyukta. "It’s my dream to go international one day," she says. Looking at what she has achieved and created so far, one can say with confidence that Sanyukta’s dream will certainly come true.

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