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Vishal Khairnar
इस खबर को सुनने के लिये प्ले बटन को दबाएं।
A poetic tribute to the Rabari community, the designer’s latest festive-wedding collection captures the wild grace of desert life through mirrors, stitches, and soul.
For designer Jigar Mali, fashion has always been deeply personal—a canvas that connects memory, craft, and identity. With his new festive and bridal collection titled Rabari, he turns to the vibrant spirit of the Rabari community for inspiration—celebrating their nomadic traditions, intricate embroidery, and unyielding grace.
Known for his traditionally rooted aesthetics and masterful reinterpretation of heritage crafts, Jigar Mali once again proves that couture can be both contemporary and culturally grounded. Rabari is more than a collection—it’s a story of belonging, movement, and memory, told in stitches and shimmer.
Mirrors, Motifs, and Movement
Each ensemble in Rabari glows with the spirit of the desert—mirror-work, bold motifs, textured stitches, and handcrafted surfaces come alive under the light. “I remember being mesmerised as a child by women draped in odhnis that glittered under the sun, each mirror catching light like a secret being revealed,” Jigar recalls. “That memory never left me. Years later, while sketching, it came back vividly—the raw desert, the bold motifs, the sense of community.”
That moment became the genesis of Rabari—a collection that captures not just the look, but the soul of those memories.
An Honest Homage to Craft and Community
For Jigar, the connection to the Rabari community is intimate and emotional. “Growing up in Gujarat, the Rabari presence was part of everyday life—their embroidery, their colours, their jewellery. I never saw them as exotic; they were neighbours, storytellers, part of the cultural fabric. That familiarity kept me from romanticising them. Instead, I wanted the collection to be an honest homage—rooted in respect, yet translated through my design voice.”
This approach manifests in carefully handcrafted lehengas, anarkalis, and dupattas that retain the artisanal vocabulary of Rabari embroidery while introducing modern refinements in silhouette and movement.
The Poetry of Motion
The collection is not just visual—it’s kinetic. “These are not static clothes; they’re made to flow, to travel with the body,” says Jigar. “The lehengas are built to twirl with ease, the anarkalis have motif ladders that rise and fall with each step, and the dupattas are light so they float rather than weigh down. I wanted each piece to embody the rhythm of journeys—raw, unending, beautifully untamed.”
The result is a visual symphony of movement and tradition, where craft becomes a living language, and fashion becomes a story of freedom and grace.
A Craft Renaissance in Motion
With Rabari, Jigar Mali reaffirms his place among India’s leading couturiers who continue to preserve and reinterpret the nation’s craft legacy for a new generation. It’s a collection that speaks softly but powerfully—a reminder that the most compelling fashion doesn’t just adorn the body; it echoes the soul.
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