Weaves, weddings and the wow factor

Because it is Tourism Year, because we finally got the Jamdani patent we've been waiting for, because our local designers are beginning to get a larger share of international spotlight, all eyes have been on the Bangladeshi fashion industry this year, and what says "Bangladeshi" and "fashion" more than our native textiles?

With exciting new players entering the field, and seasoned hands upping their game, the handloom industry has seen some mind-boggling creative experimentation in recent shows, and we're just getting warmed up.

Fresh off the success of his showcase at the recently concluded International Weaver's Festival, menswear designer Samuel Hoque is off, all pistons firing as orders for the incipient wedding season come pouring in. Returning to Dhaka after a five-year hiatus, with two hit collections under the bag - one for each Eid - and the runaway success of his runway comeback with the IWF, Sam has every reason to be happy. We managed to squeeze in a quick chat with the man himself.

Okay, so you've been pulling out new inventions faster than Batman builds gadgets - from Eid ul Fitr's "scarf kurta" (panjabi with a built-in uttorio), to this season's hottest trend, the "T-cos" (printed coatees in T-shirt fabric), but people won't stop talking about the Weaver's Festival. Can you tell us a bit about your experiments there?

To begin with, using handloom fabrics for formal menswear was quite a challenge for me, as these fabrics require different techniques for cutting and draping, but once I started playing with the textiles, I totally fell in love with it, and went all out.

There was this look I did for Day 1 of the fest - lace pants to go with a sherwani, which was a real labour of love, and took under two weeks to complete. It was an unconventional choice because lace is not traditionally considered very masculine, but I let the cut and the fit speak for themselves.

On Day 2, I really went for the wow factor with hand-painted gamcha pattern on muslin. I was working with Tootli Rahman, and she wanted ensembles that stand out, so that's what I tried to deliver.

It's on the final day, when we were working with Benarasi that I pulled out all the stops with tasselled coatees, split jackets, pops of colours and more. It was so much fun.

It certainly looked like fun. What was the whole fashion drama all about?

Theatre is art, fashion is art, and we wanted to start a conversation. You have the models, the music, the catwalk at every show, but we wanted to take it further, to really show the clothes in action, and so fashion drama was born. 

Can we address the elephant in the room? The literal elephant in the room?

(Laughs). That was all Tootli Rahman. She wanted an entrance people would be talking about, so she opened our segment with a live elephant carrying in a model wearing a jamdani gown. And since it got everyone's attention, I can't complain.

Your current Autumn/Winter collection has a lot of bold prints and unusual motifs. As we transition into wedding season, what's your advice to men looking to stand out when they hit the festivities?

Firstly, don't follow trends. Go with what works for you; break the rules if necessary, but be you. Secondly, your skin colour and size has nothing to do with the colours you wear, so don't worry about taking chances. Finally, have fun, and experiment. 

By Fatima Hussain
Photo: Sam H