Imitation: a form of flattery, copying in the name of inspiration, or plain lazy?

I recently learned from a few friends that another boutique is "copying Brass Tacks". On closer inspection, I found similar literature ("focus on fit, fabric and tailoring quality") and their styles had names and similar stories about them (call me hyper-vigilant but you know when someone is trying to imitate your writing style). Most upsetting of all was that a few of their styles seemed like copies of Brass Tacks silhouettes. They had my Patiala Pant (under a different name of course), and an ill-fitting version of my Wide Hem Trouser (called Wide Leg Pants).

It's not the threat of competition that bothers me. What really gets my goat is the blatancy with which Brass Tacks ideas are copied.

A few days ago I noticed, on Facebook, the brand description of yet another designer. She had used the words, "To be understood, our clothes have to be touched, stroked, and worn". How could someone else have come up with those very words that my sister had worked on for Brass Tacks in 2007? A description so unique because it acknowledges the sensual appeal of handwoven fabrics and the focus at Brass Tacks on fit.

A screenshot of the Brass Tacks homepage in 2008, with the paragraph containing the sentence, "In order to be understood, our clothes have to be touched, stroked, and worn". 

And just out of curiosity I did a google search a few minutes ago for "Inspired by the rhythm of the weaver's shuttle" to see what I get, and found the linkedin page of a Bandhani trader who just copied the entire paragraph, word for word, but replaced his business name in place of Brass Tacks. Oh wait, he also changed "clothes" to "cloths", and "tailors" to "Karigars".

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I bet most creative people who spend hours or days trying to come up with a unique idea that will have commercial success wouldn't be able to laugh that off like a genuine compliment. Copying is easy. Coming up with a new idea is tough.

So what's the difference between copying and being inspired by someone's work? Copyright infringement is a highly debatable and controversial topic in fashion. While copying a logo or site-content can be taken to court, design is a grey area. One simple change- like the colour- makes the style different. Many designers who look to the same sources for inspiration end up designing styles that have a common thread even though their research and work was done independently. What's important to note here however, is that despite the similarity, easy designer has his or her own unique take on the theme.

Left: An article in the New York Times on the trend of geometric patterns.
Right: The 70s Maxi from Brass Tacks' Spring 2013 collection.

Many even argue (and I agree), that designers should rely on work done in the past for inspiration and information, because sometimes in order to improve you need to see what's been done before. An article I read recently on the National Post quoted a professor at University of Virginia: "No one creates ex nihilo. And in the fashion industry especially". It's true- how do you create something without any frame of reference at all? And when someone does create something distinct - like Vionnet's cowl - does it mean no one else can use the same technique of draping a cowl, for fear of being seen as imitating Vionnet's style?

I, for one, have certainly relied on the work of many others during my journey with Brass Tacks. I'm not going to get into the obvious (clearly I did not invent the shirt, or the cowl neck), but were it not for other brands whose creations I did not care for, I might not have thought about creating a line of tailored clothes. Were it not for India's textile heritage, I might not have thought of translating those textiles into modern silhouettes. I needed to be surrounded by those particular brands and fabrics in order to gain the point of view that I have. And once I started, I needed to look up to other brands and retailers for inspiration. I've been inspired by Anthropologie's photography, J.Crew's clever marketing emails, and all the creative artisans who supply Brass Tacks with beautiful fabric.

But at the end of it all, I have my story. I have my reason for starting Brass Tacks, my unique point of view and my personality behind every creation. For me, that's perhaps the biggest difference between copying and deriving inspiration. If you don't have your own point of view, then all you'll ever be seen for is knocking-off your inspiration.

And as for me, this is just the kick I needed to get me started on some exciting projects I had lined up for the Summer. Imitation is unethical, but maybe it's what keeps us on our toes, working more creatively to make pieces that are more distinct. Let them copy all they want (I'll work on feeling more flattered) - what they can never get is my energy and passion.  

Hope you paid attention in geometry class!

The original title of this post sounded like a boring academic paper: The use of 2-dimensional geometric shapes in 3-dimensional draped styles. I didn't think that would grab your attention.... but converting flat geometric shapes into draped styles is what this post is about.

A couple of years ago I was in New York for a short vacation and I noticed a drapey style at a store. I say "drapey" because it wasn't the conventional draped style with cowls or fabric flowing from one direction to another. It was a fairly structured silhouette with these long drapey bits at the side - almost like the top had sleeves from the hip going down to the thigh. It made me think a lot about proportions, and the conventional notion that a flattering shape must follow the body's contours.

There's a certain amount of geometry that's required for pattern-making in general. Some designers might not think of it as geometry (and that's definitely not a word you'll read in most pattern-making books), but it's really all about angles, manipulating those angles and triangles (darts), and figuring out body contours. Throw in a 2-dimensional shape, and you've got yourself a fun challenge of figuring out how to make it look adventurous yet flattering (hey, it's cool to be a design nerd).

 I played around with a few basic geometric shapes, and those became the patterns for Draped Circle and Dolman Drape (above). The Dolman Drape is just an inverted triangle with the base on top. The regular triangle (below) got converted into Draped Triangle.

From left to right: Draped Circle, Dolman Drape, and Draped Triangle

Below is a photo of Draped Rectangle from our latest Spring 2013 collection, and for Summer we're working on a Draped Square dress! Yes, that last one will be for the very brave and adventurous.

Kachchh 2013: going to the source for joy and inspiration

A couple of months ago I was working on my laptop and I switched tabs to Facebook for a minute. I saw this poster by Khamir about a Bandhani exhibit that was on until March 15, 2013. I was in the middle of finalizing an order for my Summer collection, I had to plan for an exhibition in Mumbai, and I had to launch my Spring 2013 collection. It probably wasn't the best time to take off, but when an opportunity calls you have to go with your gut instinct. I made a couple of calls and booked my tickets that same morning.

Since I was making the journey all the way to Kachchh/ Kutch, I had to make a trip out of it. I can't begin to explain how much fun the trip was- connecting with people I've been in touch with for a long time but never actually met in person, getting to see craftsmen doing their work and experiencing their hospitality, and taking in the precision and labour-intensive work that goes into our amazing textile heritage. The delicious food was a bonus!

The Bandhani exhibit at Khamir was presented really well. You don't get to see a curated collection with well-written explanations and stories often in India, but this was definitely one of them. I learned something new as well: the Muslim Khatris who make bandhani textiles were once converted from the Brahma Kshatris. Today, you have Hindu and Muslim Khatri families making bandhani. 

I like seeing crafts and textiles for the educational experience, even if I can't buy or use everything for Brass Tacks. I was blown away when I read that the piece above has around 90,000 knots and it took a woman 12 months to tie. Here's a lesson in patience and attention to detail!

Khamir is also doing some really cool work with recycling plastic. They collect plastic bags from a garbage dump, clean them, cut them into strips, and weave them into a thick fabric that can be used for table mats, beach bags, and floor mats. I tried to weave a few weft rows, but I wasn't very good it (and I'm told this is the most simple, basic weave possible)! I did leave with a colourful beach bag though.

Perhaps the highlight of my trip was my day at Ajrakhpur, with Sufiyan Khatri and his family. I couldn't contain my excitement when I found the blocks for fabric I had ordered last year and had to ask someone to take a photo! The really fun part about this visit was that I had just given Sufiyan bhai an order for my Summer collection, and I got to see the blocks up close, change my mind on a few prints, and actually print them on fabric to see what they would look like.

The famous "kan kharek" blocks, derived from Islamic art and used often in traditional Ajrakh prints. I'm told the motifs are inspired by nuts and dry fruit.

Every time I travel to villages there are these awkward moments when I'm reminded of my urban background. Once, in Ahmedabad, I squealed and folded my legs up on my chair when a little mouse ran into the living room from the porch. The family looked at me in amusement and one of them said, "oh, they come and go - don't worry about them". Here in Sufiyan's backyard, a dog had kept her puppies in the pit near the Indigo vat. None of the family members seemed to mind.

In Bhuj I met Abdul Jabbar Khatri, a man who has returned to his ancestral craft even though his father and his grandfather had left the tradition to work at a bank. Abdul Jabbar provides employment to over 200 women, and his dyeing unit looks like a professional science lab, with dyes being measured and weighed accurately to get the right consistency.

The last leg of my journey was Hodka, a village near the Rann of Kutch. I met with a leather craftsmen and got to punch some motifs into leather (the flower on the left was done by the craftsman himself, the one on the right was my feeble attempt at replicating the same thing). The visit inspired me to work on a line of belts for Brass Tacks... colourful pieces to go with our high-waist, belted trousers. 

On the way back from Hodka I stopped by the Kala Raksha museum. I'm not usually a fan of embroidery or any kind of ornate embellishment, but I did spend a couple of hours going through these museum pieces. I learned that women spend up to 10 years working on a single piece for their dowry. You end up viewing a piece with a different perspective when you have that knowledge: these women's youth was embroidered into those beautiful pieces. Each community has its own motifs and embroidery techniques, with striking colour combinations and placement that looks rich without looking gaudy or overdone.

Interesting story: there was one village where the young women didn't want to get married, and so they took longer to make their dowry pieces. Finally, the village elder banned embroidery altogether and now that village uses ribbons and other decorative pieces to adorn their textiles. Not sure how I feel about the dowry aspect - and if it's some consolation the grooms family gives the bride jewellery so she does get something in return for her efforts. It's a lifestyle and tradition that preserves the art of embroidery and jewellery making.

The links to all the places I visited are in this post. If you're into textiles and you're thinking of visiting Bhuj, go visit these places! If you're short of time, there's a lot you can pack into 3 days, and it's totally worth it for memories that are going to stick with you for a long time!

Not proud, and therefore prejudiced

It's been hard for me to write these past few months. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I want this blog to be and I can't seem to arrive at a conclusion. Fashion advice? Soul searching essays? Nuggets of information on textiles? It's hard for me to write in a non-intense, fashion-magazine-style about Brass Tacks. I'm emotionally attached to it and in a weird way, Brass Tacks is an extension of who I am.

When I was a kid (and a lot more idealistic), I wanted to be an IAS officer. I was proud of my city, and it hurt me that people didn't take enough pride in their city and neighbourhood to keep it clean. Back then my cause was environmental issues. As I grew up I was taught that it was very "western" and upper class of me to be more concerned about the environment and the visual appearance of my city because people had bigger concerns- like access to health, nutrition and clean drinking water. And it's not just that- every day life in India can be such a struggle that it's hard to find the energy and motivation to engage in civic participation at the end of a working day.

But is it just that? Or is there a lack of pride in all things Indian that has something to do with it?

I've been running Brass Tacks for 5 years now, and one of the things that still hurts me is the lack of pride I'm forced to confront everyday. It's in people who come looking for jobs- people who think working for an export company is more prestigious than working for one that caters to the domestic market. It's also in the lack of dignity of labour - but I've given up on that one. It's in consumers who assume that the best fabrics and most "fashionable" fashion must come from labels abroad. It's in suppliers who wonder why a small local label would worry about quality and spend money on photoshoots ("it's just for local customers, no?").

I met a couple at my store last week who had come to Chennai on vacation from the United States. I spoke to the man while his wife was trying on clothes, and I asked him how they knew about Brass Tacks. He said Brass Tacks is really popular on Facebook and he asked who owns the company and where the other retail locations are. I introduced myself and told him he was standing in our one and only retail outlet. I also beamed with pride (guess all my Facebook posts paid off!) He seemed surprised and I detected a touch of disappointment when he said, "oh, so it's not an international brand"?

It's hard to prevent all of that from getting to me. As the creator, the designer, and the director of Brass Tacks, I am responsible for how the brand is perceived. And as the director, I suppose I should let the more detached part of my brain take over while I ponder the ways in which I can overcome the perception of domestic brands, and invest more time and effort into marketing and brand positioning. It's not that I'm not trying, it's just that I'm struggling to do it in a way that is still true to me and my values.  

I recently made a trip to a mall in Bangalore when I was there for a Brass Tacks exhibition. I wanted to check out a few international brands there, just to get a feel for the market and what urban women find appealing. It would be hard for any entrepreneur designer to walk down those aisles and not feel insecure. Thousands of air-conditioned square-feet filled with merchandise and displays... how many consumers wouldn't be impressed by that? And for something like fashion, I know the whole image that you create around the clothes is just as important as the product.

Ironically, the trip to the mall made me feel better. We're doing something pretty amazing here at Brass Tacks and I don't take the time out to step back and admire that. Most Indians look at high quality products and immediately assume it can't be Indian. Most craftsmen from Italy or France get to work on high-end luxury products, while the skilled craftsmen of India are forced to battle bargain negotiations. Brass Tacks isn't just producing clothes and this is what makes us different from all those mass produced international brands in malls. We're really changing the way people perceive our crafts and skills, and through that, we're improving our self-image and self-esteem. We get to work with real fabric - fibres that have a connection to our soil- and we're privileged to work with craftsmen who are such a big part of our heritage and culture. We're excited about our work; about finding new, contemporary markets for traditional skills and crafts.
And not just that, we're successful too. We provide employment for 25 people and we create high-quality clothes that people from different parts of the world love to wear. We have a great working environment that keeps us motivated, and we like each other.

This isn't about congratulating myself and my team. It's about feeling good and embracing who we are. I don't think we do that often enough. 

Meet Manickam: our speedy saviour

When Manickam joined Brass Tacks as our first and only tailor in 2007, I wasn't sure how to read him. He was quiet and respectful, and never let his guard down. He was a fantastic worker though; few people manage quality with speed and he's a master of it. I remember when we used to outsource our shirts for button-holes, I showed them a sample of Manickam's hand-sewn button hole as a reference for the kind of quality I was looking for. The shop owner refused to believe that button-hole was hand-sewn.

Over the years we've grown fond of him and got to know him better, although the opportunity of an "interview" with Manickam got many people among our team excited so I guess there's a lot more to discover about this shy talent. This short conversation is between Manickam and the rest of the Brass Tacks team. We wanted to share it with you so you can meet our benchmark for quality at Brass Tacks.

How did you decide to become a tailor?
I went to school when I was a child but due to some financial constraints in the family I stopped my education and began working at a shop as a tailor. I worked there for 8 years and later I joined a larger export factory.

You started off at Brass Tacks as a sample tailor. How did you make the switch to cutting?
I was a tailor for a long time and after a few years I requested for a promotion. My Production Manager gave me training with cutting and handling patterns. Now I am a full time cutter at Brass Tacks.

Do you ever miss tailoring?
Not at all. I can always stitch clothes and in fact I still do at Brass Tacks when they are running short of time and they need something done really quick.

What do you like about working at Brass Tacks? Is your work-life different at Brass Tacks compared to the export factory you used to work at before?
At the factory the job was very monotonous but that is not the case here. There are different designs for each season and there is a lot of variety in style. I like it here.

Last year you married Sugasini, the Office Assistant at Brass Tacks. Some of your colleagues are dying to know who proposed first!
I expected that she would ask me out, but she did not. So I went ahead and proposed first.

Who gives you career advice?
I consult my wife when I need to make tough decisions. She helps me out during such times and her judgment is always correct!

We know you are big foodie, so what is the one dish that you can’t live without?
Sambar rice.

Do you know how to cook?

A little. I can cook some basic stuff like sambar, rasam and rice.

Some of your colleagues feel you are very quiet and reserved. Is there another side to you that we don't see?

Yes, I have a bad temper and not many people have seen that side of me.  

Tell us about something crazy or out-of-character that you've done.  

When was I ten my uncle took me to the beach. He and a few others went into the sea for a swim. I got curious and wanted to swim too, so I jumped into the water without knowing how to swim in the first place. The waves dragged me in, but soon my uncle came to my rescue. I thank god for that. 

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I wish to set up a company like Brass Tacks in the future.