Cordelia Prachi Jain

“Everyone can do simple things to make a difference, and every little bit really does count”
——– STELLA MCCARTNEY ——–

Designer Prachi Jain’s collection “Cordelia” which means daughter of the sea, highlights the plight of our rivers that have been abused due to the discharge of litter by humans and industries alike. The designer through her collection is trying to advocate up-cycling of plastic waste. She has replicated sequins from the plastic waste in her collection.

The inspiration for the designer’s collection is the river Hooghly which links Howrah and Kolkata, once considered the nectar of India. The water of the river Hooghly has now become poisonous, due to various human activities, dumping of various harmful industrial and plastic wastes.

The garments have been structured to allow ease of movement, thus representing the flow of the river Hooghly and the bridge over it. Trend research highlighted that sequins are trending this season. Hence, the designer decided to create sequins using plastic bottles and containers which have been converted to sheets by the recycling plants. The plastic sheets along with plastic straws were then handcrafted into various shapes and hand sewn onto the fabric. The colours of the garments used for the collection are mud-grey to symbolize the pollution and blue which symbolizes water. In order to create different shapes for the garment, she has used plastic bags to fuse with the fabric.

The designer has tried to lay emphasis on keeping our rivers clean and do away with the use of plastic as it is harmful to human, animals and marine life. Water is the source of life and it supports a majority of our biodiversity. Hence, the designer has demonstrated a way to create alternatives and up-cycling of plastic which is the way forward.