​Introduction

Indian Fashion is associated with its colorful and vibrant cloth, intricate designs, traditional symbolism, and sparkling jewels. However, it also represents the triumphs and legacies of the Indian People that kept this Fashion Industry and Cultural Identity alive for many generations, even during the country’s toughest times.

To demonstrate Indian Fashion as its own Art form, the research question investigated was: How can Traditional Indian Women’s Fashion be recreated using two-dimensional Artistic mediums (Color Pencil, Crayon, Digital Art, Oil Paint) while retaining the rich history and Design elements (Patterns, Motifs, Cloth/Materials, Colors) of Traditional Indian Women’s Clothing and Accessories?

The essence of Traditional Indian Women’s Fashion is represented by creating two-dimensional Artworks using different mediums such as Color Pencil, Crayon, Digital Art, and Oil Paint. The audience will experience Indian Fashion’s versatility through the different mediums.

Literature Review

The Industry of Traditional Indian Women’s Fashion thrived during and after India’s rise to Independence from British Rule (Khaire, 2011). The techniques and methods for making Indian Women’s clothing were encouraged during this time to preserve Traditional Indian styles. Author Mukti Khaire stated, “The government of India consciously tried to preserve and revive handloom and handicraft traditions.” (Khaire, 2011). India’s resilience to keeping their own identity gave creators the motivation to keep their craft going.

The number of Motifs, Themes, Patterns, and Techniques are essential to Indian Women’s cultural wear, like the creation of Silks (Savithri, 2013). These different clothes are a result of India’s persistence, which is the message conveyed through this Capstone Project.

The Artist influence for this Capstone Project is social media creator Janhavi Jaiswal, @illustrationsbyjanhavi, as she combines different Indian Fashion elements to create her own outfits through two-dimensional mediums (Jaiswal, 2024). The authenticity of her outfit Artworks served as inspiration to showcasing the aspects of Indian Fashion. These recreations allow Indian culture to spread globally through media platforms and keep relevancy among modern audiences. The Artist’s work will also incorporate Indian Dresses and Designs in two-dimensional mediums.

Methods

The Research Method conducted was a Media Review. Images and illustrations of Indian Dresses, Accessories, and Designs were observed for inspiration. These significant elements were combined to create Indian Women’s Fashion outfit combinations.

The Artistic Technique emphasized is texture through different strokes of the material being used. When coloring, the source from Isabella Meyer was used to give the illusion of different fabric textures through the various mediums (Meyer, 2022).

The Artworks used four different mediums of Color Pencil, Crayon, Digital Art, and Oil Paint to represent the different textures of Indian Fabric, which could not be done with one medium since different materials have their own qualities to offer.

Audience & Impact

This Capstone Project targets those interested in learning about the elements of Indian Women’s Fashion through different Art mediums. This industry is underrepresented in the Western Fashion industries (Mayer, 2018), so this Capstone Project aims to expand Indian Fashion’s influence. The audience will gain knowledge about Indian Women’s Clothing and develop an appreciation for its legacy.

The personal impact of this Capstone Project was gaining a deeper knowledge of the Artist’s culture, experience, and an understanding of how certain elements are interconnected in Clothing and Tradition. The Artist enjoyed creating this Capstone Project on Traditional Indian Women’s Fashion Re-Imagined!  

References

Jaiswal, Janhavi. illustrationsbyjanhavi. Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/illustrationsbyjanhavi/. Accessed Apr. 2024.

Khaire, Mukti. “The Indian Fashion Industry and Traditional Indian Crafts.” The Business History Review, vol. 85, no. 2, 2011, pp. 345–66. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41301395. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Mayer, Tara. “From Craft to Couture: Contemporary Indian Fashion in Historical Perspective.” South Asian Popular Culture, vol. 16, no. 2/3, July 2018, pp. 183–98. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/14746689.2019.1565332.

Meyer, Isabella. “Texture in Art - Exploring the Element of Texture in Art.” Art in Context, Faessler Media Ltd, 17 Mar. 2022, artincontext.org/texture-in-art/.

Savithri, G., P. Sujathamma, and C. H. Ramanamma. "Glory of Indian traditional silk sarees." International Journal of Textile and Fashion Technology 3.2 (2013): 61-68.

Acknowledgements

I would like to Thank the UMD Arts Scholars Faculty Advisors Harold Burgess, Heather Bremenstuhl, and Alex Lynch for providing assistance and advice for my Capstone Project throughout this time. I would also like to acknowledge my Arts Scholars peers for their support and feedback throughout these Semesters.