Born in the vibrant roots of Amritsar, Punjab, Aab Label is a contemporary womenswear brand that is reinterpreting and reviving the heritage hand-embroidery of Phulkari.
Owned by ShreyaMehra, a media graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science, the brand came into existence in 2021 and celebrates everything Indian. Each piece of Aab is painstakingly created with 100% hand-woven fabric, which is hand-embroidered with illuminousPatt silk thread utilizing traditional Phulkari techniques. The brand also boasts a dedicated team of traditional craftspeople, research professionals, designers, technical experts, and more, all working towards the development of this one craft and its numerous aspects. Aab takes inspiration from all five distinctive and beautiful types of Phulkari designs- Baghs, Darshan, Dewars, Sainchis, Thirmas, and Chopes. In a detailed chat with TMM, Shreya talks about the brand and its vision.
Aab Label celebrates hand-embroidered clothing inspired by heritage crafts like Phulkari. How did the idea happen to you?
I grew up in Amritsar but lived away in different parts of the world for a major part of my adult life, thus growing close to my own culture and wanting to revive the fading crafts. Wherever I went, I always wanted to bring my friends a gift from where I came from. I would hunt in the bazaars of Amritsar for a piece of handcrafted Phulkari but could never find one with good craftsmanship. This is when I decided why I don’t make it.’ I worked in different capacities within the media industry.
However, I always felt creative blocks and a lack of decision-making roles. Creative restrictions in a traditional 9 to 5 heightened when work moved online during the pandemic. It was a deep desire to express myself, and nothing had ever fascinated me more than the culture & arts. I always saw the beauty of heirloom crafts and knew their heritage value – my heart ached to see it die. I finally decided to take a path that was uncertain but allowed me creative freedom!
Talk about the brand philosophy of Aab Label.
Derived from the Persian & Punjabi word for water, ‘Aab’ represents the flow in the exquisite and age-old hand-embroidery technique of Phulkari, which today is losing its intricate identity and authenticity. By engaging the essence of heirloom crafts and bringing them back to our everyday life, the brand strives to rekindle the relationship between people and their cultural legacies. Our aim with this enterprise is to re-ignite the lost charm as well as infuse a new life into this 2000-year-old heirloom craft through the medium of design intervention and storytelling.
Tell us about the latest collection Matsya.
Mátsya is a collection of marine life motifs on contemporary silhouettes infused with the defining bright colours and geometric designs of Phulkari. Matsya is inspired by the first Avatar of Vishnu. When the world was flooded, Vishnu took his first avatar, that of the fish to save existence from doom. The Mátsya, at home even in a flood, swam all life forms, knowledge & scriptures to safety in a boat that was tied to its head. In time the flood subsided and a new civilization was born. The collection is made up of recycled handloom fabrics & hand-embroidered with Patt silk threads.
Your latest collection has used all recycled handloom fabrics. Talk about the challenges you faced during sourcing.
When it comes to the most environmentally friendly fabrics, you have several options and possibly even more limitations. You could use organic fabrics such as organic cotton, organic flax (linen), or peace silk. You could also choose recycled fabrics, such as recycled PET polyester, or fabrics with a virtually closed-loop manufacturing process, such as lyocell. For me, longer production lead cycles + higher costs compared to regular fabrics were the major challenges.
Indian artisans still don’t get the due credit and reward for their hard work. What do you think needs to be done in this area at ground level?
The handicraft artisans go through loads because of being unorganized, lack of education, low capital, no exposure to new technologies, absence of marketplace intelligence, and a poor institutional framework. Creating awareness about the value of work they provide and educating them about new trends and technology will, in turn, help us create more opportunities for them.
This latest collection has used all recycled handloom fabrics. Talk about the challenges you faced during sourcing.
When it comes to the most environmentally friendly fabrics, you have several options and possibly even more limitations. You could use organic fabrics such as organic cotton, organic flax (linen), or peace silk. You could also choose recycled fabrics with a virtually closed-loop manufacturing process, such as lyocell. For me, longer production-lead cycles plus higher costs compared to regular fabrics were the major challenges.
There is a lot of debate and development around sustainable fashion. Where do you see the future of sustainable fashion in India?
More & more people are becoming aware & conscious of sustainable fashion which is building momentum. However, costs are high & there is still a long way to go.
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