The House of Gharats is excited to share our latest collection titled ‘Blue Fashion’ in collaboration with the Commonwealth Fashion Council (CFC). We at House of Gharats we believe in creating conscious luxury for artful dressing in living. Our motto is to be as Sustainable As Possible. As Soon As Possible, and we’re on a mission to change the world one scarf at a time. The Commonwealth Fashion Council is a not for profit organisation uniting over 20 national fashion councils and weeks from across the Commonwealth Fashion Industries¹. Together we’re working in alliance with the Blue Charter agreement to create an equally beautiful and sustainable collection. The Blue Charter is an agreement between the 53 Commonwealth countries, to agree to actively cooperate to solve ocean-related problems and meet commitments for sustainable ocean development, with particular emphasis on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 14 (Life Below Water).²
The current linear economy system is no longer working for the demands of the public, and our planet. We at House of Gharats want to take a different approach, a more circular approach. We have committed ourselves to create a Circular Blue economy, one which harnesses the potential of the ocean. We are changing the way we interact and think about production, material, and products after they are no longer useful. By using a biodegradable material we are doing our part to eliminate landfill waste and help promote a circular economy. The Blue Fashion silk scarf collection, comes from nature and holds a piece of the ocean within it, our users get to take that piece of nature with them, and when the scarf is no longer usable it can return back to nature through biodegradation.
Neishaa Gharat was invited by Daniel Hatton, Founder of CFC to collaborate on a ‘Blue Fashion Silk Scarf’ collection. This collaboration is in accordance with the Blue Charter initiative in its mission to support and advocate sustainable development in emerging fashion industries within the 53 member nations of the Commonwealth. This is a creative collaboration through which the CFC enables the first sustainable SeaCell™ silk scarf collection inspired by the oceans and its beautiful creatures. In this video, we are sharing our experience as a design house that is on a mission to change the world one-scarf-at-a-time and the opportunity to create our first sustainable silk scarf collection.
The Power of Seaweed in Fiber
We at House of Gharats did not want a scarf collection inspired by the ocean to only be focused on the design elements, but to integrate it into the fibres of our scarves. SmartFiber’s SeaCell™ is used for the Blue Fashion Silk Scarf Collection. SeaCell is a silk fabric that contains active seaweed, that is completely biodegradable and carbon neutral. SmartFiber is at the forefront of textile innovation, providing a sustainable solution to non-biodegradable synthetic materials that crown our landfills.³
The seaweed for Seacell fabric is obtained from a gentle and sustainable harvesting process that only removes the part of the seaweed that can regenerate. The seaweed is entirely untreated and all its ecological value is retained.² Seaweed is a sustainable, environmentally-friendly and is good for our bodies. Seaweed has great skin benefits. It helps to soothe irritated skin and promotes cell rejuvenation. The seaweed is pure and rich in essential substances such as trace elements, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The properties found in seaweed help to activate cell regeneration which can help to reduce inflammation, relieve skin diseases and soothe itchiness.
The scarf will be a tangible embodiment of the Blue Charter’s values and Neishaa Gharat’s inspiration from culture, identity and today’s global issues. The importance of the scarf is that it will serve as a message of hope in relation to Neishaa Gharat’s ongoing goal of changing the world “one-scarf-at-a-time”.
What is the Commonwealth of today?
When you hear the word Commonwealth, I’m sure most of you will think about the British Empire’s rule over several countries. Many people will associate the term with hardship, discrimination and oppression. On the other hand, the Commonwealth of today, in perspective of the Commonwealth Fashion Council (CFC), is working hard to change this perception and they are indeed successful.
The CFC seeks to foster unity, cooperation and trade amongst member states to work as a collective power. More specifically, the CFC works to support and advocate sustainable development, education, youth and gender empowerment. In addition, the CFC is specifically focused on current and emerging fashion industries within member Nations of the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II was the head of the Commonwealth before being succeeded by Prince Charles. It was her wish for Prince Charles to be appointed. His role is mostly symbolic to atone to the unity of the Commonwealth through their shared history.
The Commonwealth celebrating 70 years
The Commonwealth, as we know it today came into existence 70 years ago. It officially began when the nations of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), India, Pakistan, South Africa, Britain and Australia sat down in London for over six days. The agenda was complete and the nations came to a final agreement on 26th April 1949. Over 70 years, the value and relevance of the relationship have been consolidated and reaffirmed. The creation of the Commonwealth Secretariat in 1965 and the growing number of professional programmes within the Commonwealth to respond to the current needs of countries and communities, including the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda on Trade and Investment, and most significantly, the Commonwealth Blue Charter on ocean governance, reflect this relevance.
The expansion of their member states in itself is an achievement to celebrate. Starting with just 8 nations, the Commonwealth of today has expanded to 53 nations from 1949 to 2019 – meaning 33% of the world’s population belong to the Commonwealth. Spanning across the Commonwealth, organisations are celebrating with a series of conferences, events, workshops, competitions throughout this year. This is to reaffirm pride of the impressive record of achievements and impact which has brought sustainable development.
Creativity and the Commonwealth by Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK
The House of Gharats’ ‘Blue Fashion Silk Scarf’ collaboration was presented on the 14th of May 2019 at an event held at the House Of Parliament in London. 53 countries are members of the Commonwealth, each with a unique cultural heritage and creative scene. How are individuals, organisations and initiatives connecting people across the Commonwealth through creativity? How are issues and conversations in the Commonwealth explored through creative projects? What challenges do creative practitioners face?
CPA UK was joined by Daniel Hatton, Founder of the Commonwealth Fashion Council, Alison Cox, Founder of The Commonwealth Resounds, and Mr Gee, poet and presenter, to reflect on these important questions.
House Of Gharats Blue Fashion Scarf will be showcased at the Blue Fashion and the Innovation Forum at the International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability, which takes place in Rome, November 18-21 2019 along with the Wishing Net installation. Make sure you follow us on Instagram @HouseOfGharats and keep an eye on our blog for more updates. The collection will be available to buy in February 2020. For further enquiries write to hello@houseofgharats.com, or place your pre-order now at our website.
A Transcript of the Commonwealth Fashion Council’s interview of Neishaa Gharat
Daniel Hatton, founder of Commonwealth Fashion Council talks about the Commonwealth Blue Charter and Blue Fashion with Neishaa Gharat founder-designer, House of Gharats.
Daniel: Pleasure to be here in your studio, thank you so much for the invite and your warm hospitality as always. We are here to talk a bit about you and also about the House of Gharats and the evolution of the brand.
Neishaa: I’m a Bombay-girl just like you are…
Daniel: A Scouser.
Neishaa: I studied visual arts and co-founded one of the largest design studios in Bombay. Now almost about 12 years back, London is now home and in fact one of my key sources of inspiration because it’s one of the most multicultural cities and all of that inspires my work now as a Designer.
Daniel: So how did you come about with the idea of building the brand? and can you tell us a little bit about that and also the products you have created and the meaning of the products? because I know that your products have a lot of meaning behind them in terms of sustainability and education.
The meaning behind the brand.
Neishaa: My first life as I like to call it, I worked with many brands, that really inspired me to one day have my own brand. In fact, London inspired House of Gharats as a design house, designs for artful living and dressing.
It was founded on the premise that design is a superpower and I feel with that superpower we can make a difference to the world.
Our design collections currently include silk scarves that are designed in our studio in London but take inspiration from many different cultures from around the world. In fact, one of our customers, now I almost call her a collector, says that our scarves create bridges between cultures and that was one of the most beautiful feedback I have ever received from our amazing customer from The Netherlands, actually. She loves Indian culture but at the same time, she loves that it creates bridges between so many different countries, if you’d like to say so.
Culture, identity and today’s global issues inspire the design process at House of Gharats.
Daniel: You mentioned that you are a Bombay-girl at heart. How has that influenced the products that you create?
Neishaa: Bombay is energy, Bombay is electric, Bombay is chaotic, Bombay is dusty, Bombay is colourful, Bombay is noisy. I think that my work is about all of that, energy and spirit, it’s almost like a way of life that one can wear. Also, I think being Indian, colours really inspire me, I find so much meaning in them. Bombay very much…
Daniel: Has been your drive and force. Your designs are somewhat eccentric, colourful, vibrant.
The Commonwealth Fashion Council and; House of Gharats have come together to create a seaweed and silk scarf inspired by the Commonwealth Blue Charter.
Daniel: The reason we are working together, the Commonwealth Fashion Council and House of Gharats are because we were very much inspired by the Commonwealth Blue Charter.
Neishaa: Yes!
Daniel: And the Commonwealth Blue Charter’s commitment to the preservation of the oceans. So, we’ve been working together on a Blue Commonwealth Fashion Charter scarf, if you’d like. And we have been working with trying to create some designs for that particular scarf. Would you like to tell us a bit more about what the scarf looked like before we show you some images?
Neishaa: Yes!
How the mission of the Blue Charter has inspired the design of the Blue Fashion (silk and; seaweed) scarf.
Daniel: And tell me about the design process behind that and how the Commonwealth Blue Charter has inspired you?
Neishaa: Absolutely! So I think that I thrive in water and energy. We are more water than matter and I think that I remember you saying that to me. In the world, consciousness about our oceans being such an important part of our world is now so much more important.
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The Commonwealth Blue Charter is an agreement by all 53 countries to actively cooperate to solve ocean-related problems and meet commitments for suitable ocean development.
Neishaa: And when you told me about the Blue Charter initiative at the Commonwealth and I read about everything we are trying to achieve together as Commonwealth nations, it really got me thinking about a whole world beyond the one we see every day.
Daniel: The blue world.
Neishaa: Absolutely, the blue world. And it actually inspired me to go beyond, just the beauty of the ocean, trying to understand how important it is for the human race to protect our oceans, to treat them well, to be more conscious about what we take out of them and absolutely never throw things into them. It was so amazing, I couldn’t take my mind off it when I learned about the Blue Charter initiative.
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The importance of the scarf as a ‘message of hope’
Daniel: The scarf is such an important item for House of Gharats and for me the scarf it is sort of like your canvas if you’d like, there is so much going on there in terms of when you collaborate with that be the Big Issue when you do a limited edition run of scarves. You do see the scarf as a blank canvas and can you elaborate a bit more on that and the significance of the scarf and the importance of the scarf?
Neishaa: Absolutely! I believe I have a superpower, and that is being a Designer.
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House of Gharats wants to change the world “one-scarf-at-a-time”
Neishaa: I’ve set myself on a mission to change the world one-scarf-at a-time.
Daniel: I love that!
Neishaa: Thank you!
Neishaa: It is not designed for the sake of design, it is a design that gives a message. When you earlier mentioned that our work is very educational, it’s not in a preachy kind of way. We give our message in a very fun, eccentric, quirky kind of ways. We want to make this world a better place but we want to do it joyfully and the scarf for me is my canvas, I give my message to the world through my designs and that is how we believe we make a difference. And through that process, it is not just about the design it is also about how we make the scarf, it is ethically produced, it’s made with the best craftsmanship, it’s made with a sustainable material thanks to the SeaCell Fabric that we will be working with.
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House of Gharats will use seaweed and silk to produce the sustainable ‘Blue Fashion Scarf’ created by SmartFiber based in London. SmartFiber uses natural materials which have positive effects on your skin and body.
Neishaa: So the scarf is now more than just a scarf, it’s a message…
Daniel: It’s a message of hope.
Neishaa: A message of hope, absolutely! That knots itself together.
Daniel: Could you talk to us a little bit through the inspiration that the Commonwealth Blue Charter gave you in terms of your designs and how that has influenced the manufacturing process of the scarf?
Neishaa: Absolutely!
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Global issues around the preservation of our oceans’ have inspired House of Gharats to create a blue message to the consumer.
Neishaa: I think being more and more conscious about our oceans was something that was becoming a really important part of my consciousness and when you told me about the Blue Charter initiative at the Commonwealth, I felt that it is truly an important time for the world to come together because we are not going to be able to do this one country at a time, it has to be a collective effort and the Commonwealth nations are truly a collective power.
Daniel: It provides a mechanism, a blueprint if you’d like.
Neishaa: Absolutely! Passionate involvement from the British royal family makes it such an important initiative for Britain and many other countries within the Commonwealth.
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Today’s Commonwealth is a collection of 53 independent nations from across Africa, Asia, Europe, Pacific, Caribbean and; Americas-that’s 2.4 billion people and over 60% of the population are below the age of 30-so it’s a youth-oriented market.
Daniel: Tell me a bit more about how the Blue Charter has influenced your actual designs for this silk and seaweed scarf?
Neishaa: First of all, I completely deep dived, literally, into who are these beautiful creatures. As I said to you earlier, I love colours and I feel like I was meant for that world and not this one. Colours, the energy, how calm it was, was all really one aspect of the inspiration. But, you said earlier that our designs are eccentric and quirky.
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“Sneak Peak” at the design of the Blue Fashion Scarf from House of Gharats.
Daniel: Very much so.
Neishaa: And it is really important for us to bring a bit of humour into this whole conversation.
Daniel: Well, actually, do you mind me showing your design?
Neishaa: Not at all!
Daniel: How big is this scarf?
Neishaa: It is going to be a 90x90cm scarf. It is a beautiful scarf that you can wear around your neck and you can style it in the most beautiful ways.
Daniel: We are using seaweed, we are doing a collaboration with…
Neishaa: Yes! Yes! And that amazing innovation was also a really important part of my inspiration. Imagine silk that is made out of SeaCell Fabric which means that it is holding a part of the ocean within the fabric, so it’s not just the design, it is also what the fabric is made of is a part of the ocean.
Daniel: So it’s really a collaboration between land-based materials and ocean-based materials, and remember that the Commonwealth Blue Charter is all about collective collaboration. I’m okay to show this?
Neishaa: Yes, oh my god! Now she is our Queen and we researched and learned about the Queen is the Head of the Commonwealth. How can you bring her as a part of the story and…
Daniel: And her lifestyle in it too.
Neishaa: Yes and her lifestyle.
Daniel: So what have you done here? you have got a…
Neishaa: We’ve got Corgi wearing her crown.
Daniel: On the back of a dolphin. So this is going to form a part of the scarf?
Neishaa: Yes, and interestingly, as we know the Queen dresses very colourfully, it is a royal protocol that she needs to stand out. So we said, how about a colourful corgi matching all these beautiful sea creatures to bring this collection between the Queen, the ocean and her favourite Corgi.
Daniel: So this is the quirkiness of the design.
Neishaa: Yes! So this is a beautiful coral reef with lots and lots of sea creatures, everything from whales, to a starfish, to water snakes, a few more corgis and other elements which we’ll not talk too much about now, we will keep it a secret. This is a beautiful turtle and all of these are beautifully coexisting in the design.
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Sustainability and; transparency is key, both are found within the Commonwealth Charter
Neishaa: At House of Gharats we have been very interested in the idea of a sustainable future, including the material we use. I think that fabrics are a very important part of that sustainable story. So to be able to work with sustainable ocean fabrics is truly a fantastic opportunity for us and to be inspired by the Blue Charter initiative, I think we are playing a very important role in saving the blue planet.
Daniel: It is fantastic that all of this has come from the Commonwealth Blue Charter.
Neishaa: Yes!
Daniel: People don’t really know what the Commonwealth is today or they don’t understand it’s value. So I think speaking to someone like you and speaking about your journey with understanding the Commonwealth Blue Charter and what the Commonwealth is about today and putting that into a product where it is tangible for someone to actually touch and see, I think that is a very valuable thing.
Neishaa: Thank you! And Daniel, you have always told me about the Commonwealth of today and that is quite an important way forward for us as we need to come together as a world.
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Fashion industries within the Commonwealth have an opportunity to come together to solve the most pressing issues within today’s global fashion sector…
Neishaa: And the Commonwealth of today is about this beautiful partnership, collaboration, working together, inspiring each other and making a difference together. That would have been possible because we are members of the Commonwealth Fashion Council so we feel very lucky to be a part of this story.
Daniel: Thank you so much for your time, it’s been truly magical and I can’t wait to see the final product.
Neishaa: Thank you!
Let’s build a Blue Economy together, one scarf at a time.
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