She has designs on shahtoosh

Internationally renowned fashion designer RITU KUMAR has donned a new mantel by joining Wildlife Trust of India in its fight against shahtoosh. K. KANNAN has the details....

`Wearing a shahtoosh is no longer fashionable...The demand is on the decline the world over.'

As a fashion designer, Ritu Kumar has always been different. With an innate understanding of the handicraft and handloom industry in the country and a good grasp over the role of traditional craftsmen in the high-profile fashion arena, she has been creating waves in the national and international market. Dressing up the Miss World contestants has been another job which she has handled with aplomb.

This past week the renowned designer donned the mantle of a fashion iconoclast. ``Fashion statements,'' she says, ``are also a matter of style. Sometimes the wrong style becomes a fad.'' The craze for shahtoosh among designers is one such example. ``Shahtoosh shawls are not just worn for warmth but also for their style,'' she points out.

Joining hands with the Wildlife Trust of India in its fight against shahtoosh here, Ritu Kumar presented the Jamawar line as an alternative to shahtoosh. ``The desire to own a shawl by the fashion conscious was always there. What has changed the equilibrium is the fashion interest in the accessory in the international world,'' she says. ``In the last few years, fashion demands have rapidly decimated the number of Chiru antelopes. We must create an awareness in the fashion world if this species is to be saved and pledge not to use or glamourise the wool from this endangered animal.''

However, Ritu Kumar asserts that probably fashion designers did not realise that the Chiru antelope was being hunted for shahtoosh.``If they knew what was happening to the animal, they probably would not wear shahtoosh,'' she says, adding : ``The warmth is not in question anymore, it is just the style''.

According to Ritu, who is also among the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and who is involved in such prestigious projects as designing the costume museum in Delhi's Red Fort, fashion is the kiss of death for many a craft area and cottage industries. ``The interest in any hand product comes in like a tidal wave and is followed by demands which the craft cannot meet. In trying to cash in on the phase, a large number of middlemen come into the picture, who are not sensitised to the situation,'' she reasons, arguing that ``in the last few years, shahtoosh shawl has become the fashion's latest victim''.

Referring to the Miss World and Miss Universe contests, Ritu says shahtoosh is never used in designs worn by the contestants. ``At least, I have never used it in any of my designs,'' says she. ``I do not think anyone has used it on the ramp in India. In fact, I would go to the extent of saying that wearing a shahtoosh is no longer fashionable and the demand for shahtoosh is on the decline the world-over.''

As a designer who has maintained an excellent rapport with traditional craftsmen, she also knows that it is basically the hundreds and thousands of weavers in Kashmir who depend upon weaving the wool extracted from Chiru who need to be rehabilitated if this product is to be eschewed totally. ``With the introduction of mechanised processes, all shawls can be produced without going through the labour intensive processes involved,'' she says.

With her boutique ``Ritika'' slated to come up in West Delhi soon, Ritu plans to popularise alternatives to shahtoosh. ``The idea is to create a market for hand-spun pashmina as a deliberate alternative to shahtoosh,'' she says. ``To meet the demand of fashion, an alternative shahtoosh look and feel alike shawl is available today for as little as Rs. 1200-2000. It may not be an original, but it serves the purpose and protects the species as well.''

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