A new-found ‘wokeness’ in fashion is taking bigger strides. Genuine political statements are being made through fashion by many designers today. For instance, Vivienne Westwood used fashion as a vehicle for activism to stop climate change, Katherine Hamnett became a legend with her ‘Activist T-Shirts’ and Stella McCartney showed how luxury bags and shoes can be Vegan. In India, the push towards the ‘greater good’ via fashion is on the rise. Be it green fashion through the use of carbon-neutral materials, use of handloom for the revival of traditional textile clusters and craftsmen, to fashion standing in support of the LGBTQ community, inclusivity and diversity have been conspicuous. Gaurav Gupta, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Abraham and Thakore, Rahul Mishra, Vaishali S, and others have been at the forefront of ‘woke’ fashion.
In the time of sustainable fashion, Raw Mango has taken to wildlife conservation through textile and design. The brain behind the three-year-old project has been Sanjay Garg, the founder and textile designer of Raw Mango & Anjali Singh, a wildlife conservationist and founder of ‘SUJÁN.’
The founders Anjali and Jaisal Singh have a family legacy of conservation and through the creation of their boutique hotel brand they have created a positive impact, sustainable tourism model, sharing with their guests the most authentic travel experiences in unique areas of the Rajasthan wilderness, which benefit local communities as well as play a role in preserving indigenous wildlife and their habitats. Anjali, an admirer and early patron of Raw Mango, came together with the co-designed collection Sher Bagh.
Raw Mango and Anjali Singh of SUJÁN announce the release of their limited-edition collection Sher Bagh, which highlights humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife while raising awareness for India’s critically endangered animal life.
In the Sher Bagh Collection, Sanjay Garg in his creative way challenged the ‘Shikargah’ miniature painting style from the Mughal era. ‘Shikargah’ depicts the power of man over the animal, and is often replicated in textiles. In the Sher Bagh collection this concept has been tweaked – eleven animals – human included – are woven into a story of coexistence.
“Raw Mango is always interested in challenging the visual vocabulary of textiles and in Sher Bagh we ask ourselves is it still the power of man over animals, or can we see ourselves for what we are…one of the animals themselves?”, states Sanjay Garg, the founder and textile designer of Raw Mango.
Anjali Singh of ‘SUJÁN’ said “The vision was to bridge two things very close to my heart: design and conservation. To come together with Sanjay to create a collection that celebrated the wilderness whilst exploring new forms and imagery for the textiles and safari wear that this collection embodies. Sher Bagh salutes the inherent and intrinsic connection of the human species with its natural environment and diverse habitats.”
5% of all sales of the Anjali Singh x Raw Mango ‘Sher Bagh’ collection will be directly donated to SUJÁN’s conservation projects in the region of Jawai thus directly contributing to restoring, preserving and expanding precious wilderness habitats.
Text by Jaydeep Ghosh
Image Courtesy: SUJÁN and Raw Mango
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