ANNIHILATOR–Curator–JD Annual Design Awards 2019 | Fashion Design

“What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

—- JANE GOODALL —-

Designers Abhijith S.V. and Anjumol K.V.’s collection, Annihilator means destroyer and was inspired by the Aghoris, The Ascetic Shiva Sadhu. The collection is a line of experimental wear and represents their lifestyle, way of thinking, culture, rituals and hair.

Aghoris are devotees of Shiva or Mahakala – the destroyer or its female form, Shakti or Kali, the goddess of death. Each Hindu deity is a sign of the same God and different orders worship different deities. However, it is believed that, what Shiva and Kali demand from their followers is not acceptable by all and thus, Aghoris are the only ones willing to please them. They are revered by rural people as they are believed to possess healing powers, gained from their intense practices, renunciation and years of meditation.

As the collection deals with the dark side of Aghoris, the colour palettes used are black, grey, brown, blue grey etc. Fabric manipulation techniques and dyeing was done with the use of rust and coffee to create smoky effect and textures of ashes. Knitting, braiding, macramé knots were used to create the patterns and textures of the deadlocked hair of the Aghoris, rudraksha and accessories. Fabrics used to craft the garments were linen for its purity and the knit fabric for its flexibility.