Designer reclaims cultural identity through fashion in Darjeeling
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Bivechna Chettri, a designer from Darjeeling, India, uses fashion to explore and express her cultural identity.
Chettri began experimenting with clothing around 2020, taking advantage of affordable thrifted materials to learn sewing and develop her own style. This led to the creation of Dhaago, a project that blends traditional Dhaka fabric, hand-woven and common in Nepal, Sikkim, and Darjeeling, with modern designs.
Chettri noticed young people in her community were increasingly adopting Western fashion trends and moving away from traditional attire. She responded by reworking Dhaka fabric into contemporary pieces, like bodycon dresses and blazers, hoping to make cultural wear appealing to a new generation. She also reimagined the traditional Maruni skirt by turning bell-bottom jeans into a draped version, pairing it with tops featuring floral motifs. Dhaago’s presentation emphasizes cultural heritage.
Chettri styles designs with traditional jewellery, earrings, nose pins, headgear, and hair accessories, and photographs models against the backdrops of local markets and tea gardens in Darjeeling. For Chettri, who feels a sense of cultural ambiguity between Nepal and India, fashion serves as a way to understand her belonging and demonstrate that shared culture can unite people across borders. She intends to continue developing her designs and bridging tradition with modernity.
