Norblack Norwhite

I am feeling thankful today that I follow Fashion Magazine via twitter, otherwise I might not have stumbled onto their post, thereby not discovering a pair of ridiculously talented designers hailing from Toronto, but based in Mumbai / Bombay. Amrit Kumar and Mriga Kapadiya are the team behind the line Norblack Norwhite. I checked out their site as well asi their Spring 2011 collection today and was blown away by the beautiful textiles and easy modern silhouettes that are pretty much everything I would love to wear on a summery day.

Maybe it is my longtime fascination with the textiles of India - which started when I saw the beautiful saris of a lady at my church growing up - is what drew me in pretty much instantaneously to these boldly colourful designs. I feel like there is such a freshness to taking a dyeing technique developed over quite literally thousands of years and bringing those textiles back to live in way that appeals to a modern sensibility while maintaining the integrity of the textile itself.


nbnw does kachchh from mriga kapadiya on Vimeo.

The line is inspired, as detailed on their website, as discovering a region of India through textile and art. This first collection draws heavily on Bandhani, the ancient practice of tie dye (like none you've seen before, trust me), and the textiles are created by expert artisans in the Kachchh region. I watched the above video which features the journey taken by the Norblack Norwhite team to actually see and work with the masterful ladies and gentlemen who tie and dye each individual piece of fabric. If you have any interest in textile design, it is well worth a watch.

 I also have to give props to Kumar and Kapadiya for honouring and bringing much needed attention to the amazing textiles of India, as well as to the artisans who make them. It is amazing to see how much love and care has gone not only into the making of the garments but the actual fabric as well.

They won't be showing at LG Fashion Week in Toronto, but, according to Fashion, the line will soon be available at "Toronto's UPC Boutique 128 1/2 Cumberland Street 416-929-9209". Hopefully for those of us outside of TO they will soon have an e-commerce option, but until then, the 416 is the only place to get your hands on these bright, summey pieces.