SO HERE’S A GEM. FASHION NEXT is not so much about great cuts or fancy embellishments. It’s about wonder fabrics. Think chemical-free, feel-well threads that connect deeply and intimately with the wearer. Think hemp, organic cotton and soyabean clothing. Think ethical work practices that say no to sweatshop labour.

Lecoanet Hemant’s new Ayurganic line is a step in this direction. The raison d’etre of the eco line launched at the Lakmé Fashion Week in September this year is based in the designers’ belief that the fashion fraternity must display greater consciousness about the wellbeing of the planet. “The European market is becoming increasingly more organic with greater awareness of social responsibility and transparency in work processes. Indian fashion still has a long way to go in this area. We want to set an example for the future,” Hemant Sagar says passionately. “Our mantra is to be ecological and ethical. We try and get fabric from fair trade sources,” affirms his soft-spoken French partner, Didier Lecoanet.

Ayurganic derives from the 5000-year-old ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, emphasising Vedic healthcare teachings. The garments of ayurvastra (ayur and vastra meaning health and cloth respectively in Sanskrit) are made from organic cotton that has been permeated with special herbs and oils, making it free of synthetic chemicals and toxic irritants. The idea is that the active herbs present in the cloth penetrate through the skin to purify blood and energise the system. The azo-free fabrics come in a biodegradable bag with an organic washing soap. “You become addicted to the feeling of wellness that comes from wearing the garments,” promises Sagar.

The designers’ 1991 eco-couture collection using natural fabrics like jute, straw, algae and bark prefigured the new initiative nearly two decades ago. The current line—shirts, shorts, robes and the like in whites and creams—is marked by minimalism and an almost monk-like austerity. The clothing is most beneficial for times when the wearer is relaxing, meditating or even asleep as these conditions are apt for skin detoxification. This does not mean than organic fashion is not open to more glamorous interpretations. As Lecoanet puts it, “A designer’s job is to make beautiful things with any material, so why not fabrics of the future?”

Sagar echoes the sentiment. “A fashion designer is a crusader. You have to sell a mindset to people. Clothes modify people. Garments make characters. We don’t believe in doing something that’s been done. That’s the job of a darzi. One must reinvent constantly. One must think unlike the market.”

The futuristic vision fits right in with their trademark avant-garde spirit. Experimenting with concepts like Prêt-a-Couture and Couture Light, Lecoanet and Sagar have consistently displayed a strongly individualistic approach to fashion. Recently they made eyes roll with their decision to sell their current collections in stores immediately instead of designing in advance. “People live in the present in India. Tomorrow does not exist here. People are very streetwise. We must invent our own fashion calendar. There’s barely any spring in India. And no one orders for the wedding season in March!”

The confidence to question dictates comes from years of experience. From their humble beginnings making clothes on a kitchen table with a borrowed sewing machine in Paris to their current fashion-forward avatar, the designers have covered a lot of ground, winning the Golden Thimble Prize for their 1994 Spring Summer Collection along the way. They’ve dressed the likes of Barbie, Snoopy (and his sister Belle) and Statue of Liberty and made chocolate couture for the Salon du Chocolate in Paris, Tokyo and New York. LH creations are on display at museums such as London's Victoria and Albert, The Mikimoto Museum in Honshu, Japan, The Ariana in Geneva and Galleria Museum of Fashion, Paris.

The sprawling steel, glass and sandstone factory in Gurgaon enlivened by the woofs of the designers’ frisky Jack Russell pup Devi was built keeping in mind the designers’ philosophy that each collection is re-interpreted from scratch every season. Currently they’re working out a retail project for their upcoming collections as well as a distribution network for Ayurganic besides working on exclusive distribution in Europe with a set up in five countries.

The brand which has evolved from a traditional Parisian couture house to a global fashion-forward label is rooted in a design ethic which Sagar describes as ‘inclusive’. “It’s the contrary of excluding anything from personal aesthetics. It’s about choosing and wanting to include the technical (practical) and cultural (design) elements that surround the psyche. You need to include to make a statement that comes from the heart and represents your thought process.”

The designers have strong views on the industrialisation of fashion. As Sagar sees it, a single piece is a treat for a single person; it’s about dressmaking. Fashion, though, is about many people wearing a look for a limited time. “Fashion at that level is the special piece daily rather than the exceptional piece exceptionally. Instead of spending a mad amount on one piece, you can buy a new wardrobe every season and be special all the time. At LH, we are all about daily luxury. A pretty idea is worthless if it’s not conveyed. Brands must be about real value. We want to make LH a household name,” says Sagar.

Ayurganic is an addition to their regular fashion work, which includes an upcoming collection themed Yin and Yang. “The eco range will evolve as soon we feel customers have developed a real liking to this product we strongly believe in. We will evolve towards organic products and wish to be a brand that treats organic materials exclusively,” says Sagar who predicts that the future of clothing is all about mature, intelligent fabrics. “There will be a time when eco-fabrics will be the only kind in use on earth.”

What a lovely planet that would be.

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