Dacca: Retooling our heritage for the younger generation
Dacca integrates fabrics that have an inherent link to the heritage of Bengal into contemporary fashion, and that too, in the form of leisure wear and streetwear
Certain designer clothes transport us back to different cultural landscapes and parcels of time. An Italian suit represents the meticulous craftsmanship that is only inherent to Italian tailors.
Fabrics from Bengal once set the benchmark in textile artisanship and craftsmanship, before colonisation and industrialisation. Ever since, the rich heritage has somewhat remained trampled underneath the Western apparel industry, and has not ever gotten the appreciation from urban society it deserved.
A Dacca T-shirt, sporting embroidered tapestry from a long obliterated artisanship, represents the re-introduction and integration of that very innate Bengal craftsmanship and heritage. Their fashion is then fused with the touch of contemporary pop culture, popular among today's youth.
Fabrics like Khadi, Katan and 'Gamchas' have an inherent link to the heritage of Bengal. The application of such fabrics, however, has more often than not been limited to traditional wear. This is where Dacca attempted to change the tide by integrating these fabrics into contemporary fashion, that too in the form of leisure wear and streetwear. Dacca further breaks gender stereotypes with its collection of unisex apparel.
The modern era is abuzz with fashion's new mantra - Streetwear. It is now one of the fastest-growing and most prominent areas of the fashion industry. According to Business of Fashion, the global streetwear market was valued at $309 billion in 2017.
With an eye on that market, Jobayed Ayon, an undergraduate at North South University, started his streetwear label 'Dacca' in 2019, which pays homage to ethnic craftsmanship with the brand's own spin. The brand is co-founded by Tameem Sultan and Mahfuzul Karim, friends of Jobayed.
More or less every collection by Dacca has a social media following. But the 'Pashan' and 'Khaadi' T-shirts have a separate fanbase, and the brand has so far sold hundreds of units of these. The brand sources hand-spun, hand-woven Khadi from Cumilla, the birthplace of this masterpiece.
Dacca's collections are mostly youth-centric, targeted at a niche segment of the demographic. The brand launches two major collections in a year - summer and winter. However, the brand also introduces multiple capsule collections and accessories every other month.
Dacca is also a proud promoter of androgynous fashion, and none of its products has any gender label. Jobayed believes fashion should be fluid. Breaking gender stereotypes, Dacca even has unisex mesh tops and crop tops.
Jobayed designs most of the items of the brand. "Art is an integral part of who I am. I spend a generous amount of time in research and development for the brand. Inspirations come in a flurry, as we have a rich continental history and a plethora of cultural elements," he said.
As of now, Dacca does not have any in-house production unit. The brand gets its manufacturing done by third-party vendors.
In Jobayed's words, the latest winter collection of Dacca is the most phenomenal one, having 13 new items of hoodies, puffer jackets, sweatshirts, pants and T-shirts.
Art and design tell stories, they paint pictures, and Dacca's latest winter wear does the same. Dacca opted for a grim and dark underlying theme to their products in this collection, rather than the joyous, happy emotions their earlier launches portrayed.
Take their latest wire camo trousers for example. The print on the pair is actually of a photo of the Dhaka skyline taken from a random Dhaka street. With the setting sun looming over the horizon, you can see a barrage of entangled wires over lampposts.
In the eyes of Dacca, the design on the trousers depict the grim experience of how 'messy' and unorganised life in Dhaka city can be for the millions of residents.
The brand-new collection also includes a chic collection of tote bags. "Our tote collection is fashionable, full of utility and can be paired with anything. Dacca now has eight designs of tote bags," said Jobayed.
Dacca asks whether we, Bangladeshis, are truly proud of donning our culture, heritage and textile artisanship in the outfits that we wear. Maybe, we are more at ease wearing Levi's jeans rather than something that is 'ours.' As a brand, Dacca expects its customers to take pride in "repping Bengali culture" through fashion.
Dacca intends to encourage other designers and businesses to take up the mantle alongside them in order to revive the 'Dacca' tradition in the modern era. Recently, Dacca collaborated with the emerging singer Dameer, and designed three costumes for him, based on the setlist of his show held at ICCB of the capital.
The first outfit was an all-glamorous and chic green Katan two-piece made to match the colours of Dameer's debut album cover. The second outfit was a kantha stitched jacket, carrying an intimate acoustic vibe. For the third and final soundtrack, Dacca designed a disco mesh top that gave a funky, end note to Dameer's performance.
"All of the outfits were modern, customised and eccentric. All the items were made paying sharp attention to details. Wearing those clothes, it felt like I had interacted with the brand while performing," he said.
Price Range:
Sweatshirt - Tk1,500- Tk1,800
T-shirts - Tk750 - Tk1,250
Trousers - Tk1,000 - Tk1,500
Shorts - Tk1,000
Tote bags - Tk650 - Tk950