Kangan Arora

Kangan Arora thinks of herself as an eccentric but it’s really more of an endearing quirkiness that comes through . She is the proverbial small town girl from Ludhiana but her work clearly reflects an urbane illustrative style that draws constantly from cityscapes and faces around her. She is currently pursuing Textile Design at the prestigious Central Saint Martins college of Art and Design, London & adores Auroville, Murakami & Wong Kar Wai flicks.

MC: Tell us a little about your background , education and such.

KA: I come from a family that has it’s roots in the business of Silk sarees , Bridal trousseaus, etc. I Went to the National Institute of Fashion Technology to study Fashion Design. This was in Gandhinagar. Now, Gujarat being Gujarat (what with Kutch, Tanetar, Calico et al) - I was always inspired by craft, and technique and fabric . So all my work (for example the Kantha and block printing) was always directed more by the fabric, rather than the styling.

MC: So, you are a textile designer then.

KA: Well, a multi disciplinary designer really. It helps that I've studied both fashion and textile.It broadens my options. At this point I’d love to design textiles for home furnishings, which is why I recently did a collection of wallpaper. I don’t want to rule out fashion as an option but we'll see what comes along.

MC: What are your big influences?

KA:India.Intentionally,unintentionally.Consciously, subconsciously. I'm very big on Photography. I love the idea of documenting small details.Everything I shoot helps me with colour, composition, scale, shape, form & pattern when I'm designing. I guess you could say I like the idea of 'visual communication', which is why I love textiles and photography and the narrative quality that they can (or cannot) have.

MC:How would you define your work?

KA:Being a student, you don't have a particular style really.I guess that will develop once I'm out of college. The idea is to go back home and work with craftspeople to contemporarize traditional Indian textiles.For now, I'm doing a lot of screen printing.

MC:Would you like to say anything to the people reading this interview?

KA:Hello :)