Lakme Fashion Week 2022: "The way Payal worked on the 'Java' collection actually accentuated and complimented that really brought out features of our brand", Bemberg on this year's collaboration

Bemberg, known for its cupro fiber graced its work into this year's Lakme Fashion Week in a full swing.

This time they collaborated with ace designer Payal Pratap Singh and brought in brilliant designs on the ramp.

We got in touch with Bemberg to get to know more about their experience in this year's fashion week, their collaboration with Payal Pratap Singh and more.

How does it feel being back to Lakme Fashion week after 2 years?

It was actually very exciting, though this is our second participation at Lakme fashion week, but the first one that is on ground. It was also good to see that people are coming out of the pandemic and getting back to normal with some changes. This sentiment is beneficial to the entire textile and fashion Industry.  We have our presence in the showroom area where the buyers come, we really missed this in the online event. It is good to see that people are actually touching the fabrics made from Bemberg and appreciating its features like gentle and soft touch, noble sheen, beautiful drape. It kind of serves the purpose for us to be physically present. We want people to not only see but also experience the elegance of Bemberg

What does it feel like to collaborate with Payal Pratap?

We were very excited when we heard that we will get to work with Payal Pratap. Payal Pratap is known for her timeless pieces, elegance, and sustainable fashion. This was really what we were looking for so it was kind of a quick match. Also, the way Payal worked on this “Java” collection with prints, embroidery, and other value addition techniques and the design of silhouettes of course, actually accentuated and compliments Bemberg as material rather than dominating it. It was a collection that really brought out the features of our brand.

You collaborated with Hemang Agrawal in Lakme Fashion Week 2020, this year you collaborated with Payal Pratap. Is there any difference when it comes to working with the two of them?

It was completely different working with both Hemang Agrawal and Payal Pratap. Hemang being from Varanasi and with Textile background, the textiles were developed from the yarn stage and the purpose of this Occasional wear collection was to create an opportunity for the weavers in Varanasi to use new materials and create textiles that were apt for domestic as well as international markets and hence expand the horizon of the traditional Benarasi.

With Payal, the aim was to still create a sustainable collection focused on the summer, holiday season which is fluid, comfortable for the wearer, and yet very elegant. So the developments for the collections started with sourcing the fabrics from our weavers in Surat and Varanasi which could match the ideas of design that Payal had. That was how the collection 'Java' was born.

How do you manage to create pieces that are sustainable yet comfortable to wear?

Eco-sensitiveness is something that has been at the core of Bemberg business.  Bemberg is sustainable in three major ways: Material, production system and social contribution.  The main raw material of Bemberg is cotton linter- a by-product of cottonseed oil industry. Bemberg manufactured using closed-loop production system is also working towards zero emissions and has been using renewable energy since 1925 when our first hydroelectric plant was installed, and today, 40% of the energy comes from renewable energy. We are striving to make technological advances to make it more efficient and along with our parent company Asahi Kasei group, Bemberg also aims for carbon neutrality by the year 2050 and to reduce emissions by 30% or more by the year 2030 ( compared to FY 2013).

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Regarding the social contribution, Bemberg is part of the Business Call to Action led by the United Nations Development Programme through which we work with Academia and local stakeholders to generate additional revenue for them by providing technical assistance.