Pavneet Kaur
“IT’S ALWAYS BEEN EXCITING TO WORK WITH WASTE, EXPLORING DIFFERENT INNOVATIVE DESIGN SOLUTIONS THAT CHALLENGE TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND INSPIRE A MORE CONSCIOUS APPROACH TO FASHION CONSUMPTION.”
– PAVNEET KAUR
Inspired by the solar punk movement, which imagines visually bright ecological utopias that integrate nature with a positive and hopeful vision for the future, designer Pavneet Kaur was compelled to use crafts and sustainable techniques such as upcycling to evoke a more optimistic future.
“As an artist, I want to create intangible awareness towards sustainability through my textile arts, including painting with textile waste,” shares the designer, who holds a postgraduate diploma in Fashion Design from Pearl Academy, India.
Pavneet’s Redress Design Award collection, ‘EUTOPIA’, upcycles discarded Sikh turbans and cut-and-sew waste patched and appliquéd together, creating classic silhouettes intended to remain in style and promote longevity as wardrobe staples. The material from the turbans, made of thin cotton and silk, are double- and triple-layered for durability.
“The turban is a symbol of spirituality and holiness in Sikhism, so it is never thrown away as waste,” says Pavneet, who comes from a Sikh family where five-metre-long turbans are always lying around at home. Taking the traditional and plentiful turbans as her main waste source, the designer upcycles the fabrics with Indian craft techniques, including kantha embroidery.
Pavneet creates colourful compositions on a variety of garments, including a patchwork of rectangular shapes on an asymmetrical ruffle skirt and tube top, and plant motifs on a jacket and long-sleeved buttoned crop top. On a long flowing coat paired with trousers, patched cotton and silk fabrics are quilted with cotton filling, creating a three-dimensional landscape.
Through her collection, Pavneet hopes to give fair employment opportunities to local expert artisans and preserve the arts and crafts heritage of her native India. “This collection will make the whole community feel closer to the garment,” she shares.
Pavneet looks forward to continuing her career in sustainable design by creating garments that are zero-waste, upcycled, and modern.
