Muslin makes a comeback
Muslin, a fine fabric once used to epitomise Bengal weavers’ dexterity, was showcased through a cultural programme styled ‘Muslin Night’ at Old Dhaka’s Ahsan Manzil.
The programme was part of a month-long festival that attempts to display substantial excerpts of reviving Muslin production process and integrating it with contemporary clothing designs.
Organised by Drik and Bangladesh National Museum in partnership with Aarong, the Muslin Nights-2016 tries to recover the lost glory.
To this end, a group of weavers wove something that has all the traits of the Muslin.
The festival has been giving the fashion and history concerned people a chance to have a close look at the Muslin which faded away during the British rule.
On Saturday evening, the Muslin Night began with a series of speeches by Rashed Khan Menon, minister for civil aviation and tourism, Sayeed Khokon, mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation, Faizul Latif Chowdhury, director general of Bangladesh National Museum, Gowher Rizvi, foreign affairs adviser to the prime minister and Saiful Islam, CEO of Drik, reports news agency UNB.
They all appreciated the initiative and extended their support to the cause and hoped that Muslin can make a comeback as a trendy and popular designer choice once again.
This was followed by a laser-light visual presentation on the history of Muslin, which was succeeded by a dance-drama ‘Hawaye Indrajaal’, arranged by dance artiste Lubna Marium and her dance troupe Shadhona.
The troupe also staged a dance drama based on historical settings, showing the rise and fall of Muslin.
The event followed it with a fashion show, displaying current Jamdani styles and design, along with ‘future Muslin’, dresses made by 12 fashion designers from UK, India and Bangladesh.
As a follow-up to the cultural show, a day-long seminar is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday) at Bangladesh National Museum, where a series of discussions and idea-sharing workshops will be held to focus on Muslin’s operational issues and the development of marketing plans for the product.