For green fashion

In the classroom, well-known designer Dr. Satish Sikha is busy explaining various aspects of fashion to students, who have gathered for his workshop Haute Couture Evening Gown held at St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam. It is not the typical session where students sit in rows listening to the master. They all go around and work as Sikha gives them instructions. An advocate of eco-friendly and healthy fashion, Sikha believes the future of the concept lies in the minds of young generation. “Change should come through them,” says Sikha, who has been teaching since 2005. “This is not my full-time job. I spend time for those who are serious about fashion. I teach because I want to instill confidence in them, help them discover their hidden talent and tell them about ways to present it well. Back then, I had to do it all by myself. I don’t want the coming generation to go through it,” adds Sikha, who is into client-based draping, where a designer puts cloth on a client without any measurements, pin it, remove it and, then, stitch it.

Fashion caught Sikha’s fancy at a very young age — to be precise, in 1989. So many creative and innovative thoughts popped into his mind when he saw girls’ dresses. “That was the beginning,” recalls Sikha. He turned his home into his lab where he experimented with styles and techniques. But, that was not enough, and he began doing own shows within his limited space, which let him interact with other designers and widen his knowledge. However, it was his stint in Delhi that affirmed his passion for fashion. “I went to Delhi to learn martial arts,” says the Hyderabad-based designer. “Designers and girls in the next building who came in beautiful costumes caught my attention. I realised something beautiful was happening there. Upon completing martial arts, I moved back home, and then gradually shifted my focus to fashion, forever.”

Dr Satish Sikha interacting with students in Kochi

Like most fashion aspirants, his next destination was Mumbai. However, lady luck smiled at him in Canada where he flourished as a brand. It was during this tenure he moved to eco-friendly clothing, too. “It is the air we breathe that keeps us alive. Our dress is something that is close to our nose. There comes the significance of eco-friendly clothing,” says Sikha, who did a campaign against global warming in 2007.

Ask him about the trigger to move to healthy fashion, he attributes it to an incident happened during the inauguration of his clothing store in Canada. He invited a girl named Alison from a foundation to inaugurate it. “Later, Alison’s mother called me and said, ‘Mr Sikha, I have a message for you. Alison’s happiest time in her entire life was the moment she spent at your store, and she passed away.’ That means, during the last moments of her life, I was in her heart. When she came for the inauguration, I was with her throughout. That touched her. I was moved by that incident. It urged me to think, ‘what am I giving?’”

He went on to create the world’s largest eco-friendly fabric (1.8 mts) with hand-woven messages from celebrities, scientists, kings, ministers and other prominent persons from 72 countries. He exhibited it in more than 5000 venues, including the North Pole, creating history. Sikha says it was a great learning experience. “A message from a scientist read: there are thousand trees, but they are hundred miles away. Can we live here? The cloth carries many such messages. The point is children follow what their favourite stars have written,” explains Sikha.

Interestingly, never in his career has he used machine to do the work. “I believe in hand work. It has a life. When we pass it to a person, we are handing over that energy to the buyer. That makes people happy,” says Sikha, who believes in treating fabrics with respect. And, he makes sure that in his work.

His efforts do not end here. He has a foundation called Healthy Kids Happy Kids where he provides free food, education, medical aid and other helps in his capacity to nurture a healthy generation. He also has a fashion incubator where aspiring talents, who are truly passionate about fashion, can experiment their skills. And, he still says there is more to do.