00:00Street Style is brought to you by Ghanie.
00:08The wali is just around the corner and some of us may still be looking for that perfect piece of
00:14traditional Indian attire.
00:16But with so many options to choose from and so much cultural and religious significance behind them,
00:22you may be wondering, where do I begin?
00:25Well, to help us out today is one of the country's top Indo-Caribbean fashion designers and stylists, Mr. Rajendra
00:33Sahadyo Singh.
00:35Mr. Sahadyo Singh, welcome.
00:37Thank you for having me here.
00:39Talk to us about not just the significance of the wali, but how the attire and the clothing work together
00:46with that significance.
00:47Well, the wali is universally known as the Festival of Light.
00:51So, the wali and fashion tends to go hand in hand where it brings out the best in a person.
00:56So, whatever you wear, it will always make you feel comfortable and be the best that you can be.
01:00Is there any particular type of wear that you would say is better suited for this particular location?
01:06Well, with Trinidad and Tobago, the wali is seen as one of the most religious festivals within the Hindu calendar.
01:13Outside of Trinidad, people see it as, they use that, where we have the wali parties and stuff.
01:18So, it becomes a fashion event.
01:20But within Trinidad and Tobago, it is more of considered to be one of the most revered occasions in the
01:25Hindu calendar.
01:26So, we try to do our best to wear something that is very conservative, that reflects modesty among the women
01:32and make sure the gentlemen, they are dressed modestly as well and the bodies are mostly covered.
01:37So, we respect our bodies, we respect this religion and we respect the celebration.
01:42So, with indentureship came fashion and fashion is an identity for any religion, race, anything within.
01:51So, when you see an item, you know who or where it came from, what aspect of what religion they
01:56came from,
01:57what part of the world they came from.
01:59So, what came to Trinidad basically was the sari.
02:03The sari has been identified with Indian women, not necessarily Hindu women, but it tends to go hand in hand.
02:12But the sari was created in the Indus Valley in India and well, that's where the origin of Hinduism.
02:18So, a sari best identifies with an East Indian Hindu woman.
02:24So, the sari is basically a long piece of fabric and the fabric is distinct because you would see there
02:32are two sides, the ends.
02:34One end will be heavily bulked up and the other is very simple.
02:39That is the part we use for the draping around the waist.
02:43We make what we call the skirt part.
02:46And the end that is heavily embroidered, we use that part for draping, what we call the pullu or the
02:51dupata, on the person.
02:52So, that will be more forward, so you'll see more of an idea of how beautiful the work is on
02:59the sari.
02:59It enhances the person, it enhances the look, so everything ties into one.
03:04It goes with the jewelry, it goes with everything we spoke about earlier.
03:09So, when you drape a sari, it being a piece of fabric, it contours the body.
03:15So, it is a one size, literally one size fits all.
03:19And the sari comes in different lengths.
03:21So, sometimes you would see different, when you order the sari from different parts of India,
03:26they are five, seven or nine years and they become, and they come in different fabric.
03:32So, you can know where a sari came from because of the unique structure of that sari
03:39and the unique fabric that is used.
03:40It comes from different parts of India.
03:44And then there's the modern fabric where you use georgia and chiffon.
03:48And then we create from those items that we get locally.
03:51What other clothing options, apart from the sari, are available to women?
03:56Well, we have the lehinga, which is basically a skirt and a top and a shawl where we refer
04:02to as the dupatta.
04:03Dupatta is the English version.
04:05You will see the English, sorry.
04:08The dupatta is the Hindi for what we would call a shawl.
04:12So, the dupatta and then there's that blouse or what we call choli.
04:15Choli is the Hindi version.
04:17There's a dupatta, a choli and a wide skirt.
04:20That was depicted by both Candace, who is wearing the pink lehinga, made of Benarisi suit.
04:26And then we have Anuradha, who wore the white with the patterned embroidery,
04:31with the tie-dye shawl, with the pattern.
04:34So, that shows that the garrara has evolved with not only one look,
04:39but it has evolved into many different styles.
04:41And what about the guys?
04:42The guys, well, we identify with the curta, with the pajama curta.
04:47This is soft pajama, which is a zero.
04:51Research has shown there's no real origin of it,
04:54but the style is very distinctive to Indian men from that valley.
04:59So, you will see usually curta will be distinct to Indian men.
05:06However, through the process of evolution, what I said, fashion evolves,
05:10we have gotten the shirwani.
05:11So, that was what Simi was wearing.
05:14He wore the, what we call jacket bases, very tailored and stuff,
05:17something similar to this.
05:18So, we have the, both of them wore black curtas,
05:23but to show the difference in what we consider the curta pajama
05:26as compared to the shirwani.
05:28Is there any message you'd like to extend ahead of Diwali?
05:32To everyone in Trinidad and Tobago, every citizen abroad,
05:37I would want to wish everyone a happy Diwali.
05:39Ensure that the reason for the holiday is observed
05:44and that you try to remove as much darkness out of your light
05:47and instead put in light.
05:50And each and every one of us will be a better person
05:52and we will live as best as we can.
05:54And everyone will be in harmony.
05:55And to everyone, a happy Diwali.
06:05Well, that's all we have for this episode of Street Style.
06:09Once again, I am Renessa Cutting.
06:11And from all of us here at CCN TV6,
06:13Shoo, Diwali!
06:21Street Style was brought to you by Garnier.
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