Meet Jasmine Kaur Kaila, a fashion design graduate from De Montfort University. Jasmine is exploring her heritage through traditional Sikh crafts, creating a collection inspired by stories of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh. “I wanted to bring back these crafts for contemporary Sikhs like myself and renown them,” says Jasmine.
“I came across so many interesting facts, one being that the dye indigo is a Latin word for 'from India'. A dye that is used predominantly in denim, a fabric now associated to be Western however its true origins lie in India.” Learn more about Jasmine’s research and work below.
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
I have learnt that nobody is going to tell your story, you have to do it yourself. Educating people is not lecturing people and telling them you are wrong and I am right it's about sharing lost knowledge and uniting on them together. Sharing this love I have got to meet and connect with so many lovely people. The beauty about creativity is that no matter the story, it will naturally be expressed in such a way that the message behind it will leave you thinking and coming back to see more.
Tell us about your current projects and work, what have you been working on?
The title of my Final Major Project is Re-blooming Sikh Arts. Over the years visiting many museums, never not even in India have I heard much about the Indian Miniature paintings. I got to know more about this traditional art when I went to an exhibition by the Singh Twins at Wolverhampton called 'The slaves of Fashion'. This lead to a chain of research and a whole discovery of a lost Kingdom. The Sikh Kingdom which was spread in Northern India. This would include parts of modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tibet and Nepal.
Being born in a Sikh family I have heard many stories of Maharaja Ranjit Singh when growing up but never have I truly known about the arts and crafts that were blooming under his kingdom. Soon after the Maharaja's death the British forcefully took over this Kingdom and there was no longer any funding provided for these crafts to thrive or progress. Instead becoming victims of what would come to be known as 'fast-fashion'. I wanted to bring back these crafts for contemporary Sikhs like myself and renown them. I came across so many interesting facts one being that the dye indigo is a Latin word for 'from India'. A dye that is used predominantly in denim, a fabric now associated to be Western however its true origins lie in India.
Due to the colonisation and the demand for high luxury on fast demand this gave brith to modern day 'fast-fashion'. Denim playing a huge part of it as well as being the most pollutant fabric, I therefore reused 2nd hand denim and reworked and renowned it with my interpretation of traditional Indian crafts like block printing and miniature paintings. The paintings depicts everyday life of people who are always moving and doing something. Communicating the everyday lifestyle of people and often concentrating on Indian botany as well. Having my every day life carved out into lino and then used to print on top of my fabrics. One of which includes me and my brother taking an outfit picture at our local garden centre where we love going during the summer.
What form does your final piece take?
I created a full collection and each outfit would represent different stories of either the lost Kingdom or how colonisation lead to the destruction of Indian textiles and gave rise to modern day fast-fashion. When designing my focus is not only on what I want to communicate though my designs but also includes a focus on contemporary Sikhs like myself and their style of dressing. Often you would find them combining traditional pieces with modern silhouettes. I like to dress and style being inspired by my various identities this includes being a Sikh, Punjabi, Dutch and British. They all define me as a person and who I am. I might wear a British tailored blazer with a Punjabi Loi (traditional shawl) and that is also how I wanted to define my collection as. Combing my identities together.
How have you evolved as a young creative while studying / working?
When first starting university I felt like wanting to talk about these topics and be more me but it was a bit hard due to feeling that these things when spoken out might not click with everyone. However when I came towards my third year, the creative community that I was surrounded by as well as the lecturers at my uni, De Montfort, I felt way more supportive. They would guide me and tell me to investigate more into my own identity and tell me to, really tell your story how you want to. This project really defines me who I am as a person and how I got to learn more about myself as well.
I know that this is the path I want to develop my career into where I can openly talk about sustainability, under representative religions and colonisation. Something that is hardly talked about. I got to develop my inner voice more and gain more confidence to speak for what is right. Due to the impacts of colonisation on India and its future generations that had to consequently suffer from, the now generation of diaspora wants to reconnect to their roots and embrace it more freely. When before questions were raised towards religion now questions are raised towards colonisation and the impact it has left on the people and its history.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
I feel like there are rarely any Sikhs seen within the creative industry which is quite disappointing. Even though there has been more of a rise in the last few years through social media which is exciting to see. Sikhs are very much underrepresented and because of this reason more so often bigger brands define us how they perceive us. However they don't appreciate or conduct as much research to give enough respect. That is why there should be more representatives. Looking more towards the Sikh history I came to learn that it is not-only a spiritual or a warrior race it is also very creative. No community should be represented by another. Instead they should tell their own story.
We should learn about our own roots and what built us and how we are going to take this forward for the next generation who are also entering the creative world. No country's history or economy is entirely made on one race and one religion. Especially if that country 'owned' 75% off the world at one point. Unfortunately these things are not taught at schools which would be a major prevention for racism. If people could actually know about different communities, religions and cultures the society of Britain would be a whole lot different. Having experienced racism myself in my teenage years, I knew that if these people would have been taught, how we don't all have to look the same in order to 'make it in life' I would have had a different school experience.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
Within the fashion industry there is of course an under representative for different religions and communities. However sustainability is something that I want to research more into as well. Reusing and recycling garments and reworking on them to respin the garment cycle but also bringing back old lost traditional crafts. Looking more into the traditional crafts of high end luxury. Within my project I looked at a hand embroidery technique used by my great-nan called cross-stitching.
My great-nan who is a farmer would grow cotton then handpick it, dye it, hand-spin it, all the way to actually crafting the fabric into what is known as ‘Khaadi’ and then hand-embroider these elaborate flower or animal patterns on top of it. I wanted to bring back this technique and I came to the idea of manipulating the fabric in the form of cross-stitching. This worked out really successfully. Especially with its silhouette inspiration from a tailored British jacket. Bringing back a dying art in a new contemporary way is something that I want to bring more into the industry. India has indefinitely played and is still playing such a big behind-the-scenes part of the fashion industry. Where it was once the centre point and was known as the 'Golden Sparrow' before colonisation bought an end to this and made it a centre point for fast-fashion.
What is your plan for the future?
To carry on more research and fuelling my designs with it. Over the summer I was able to do even more research where I came to learn that due to the greed of colonisation it wasn't only people in India who suffered but also many children of Britain. The mills back in places like Manchester often had horrendous conditions and consisted of child labour. It is many people who have suffered in history but also unfortunately who continue to do so. However it is how we as the future who come together to tackle these issues that will lead to a better environment for the future generations to enjoy creativity and thrive it even more. Humans love to express themselves and this should be celebrated without exploiting the craft or others.