Neval - Boutique Fashion Design
  • Home
  • SHOP
    • Sizing Guide
    • Shipping & Returns
  • Lookbook
  • Our Story
    • Our Journey
    • Blog
  • Press
  • Contact
  • Home
  • SHOP
    • Sizing Guide
    • Shipping & Returns
  • Lookbook
  • Our Story
    • Our Journey
    • Blog
  • Press
  • Contact

The First of Its Kind: The Concert for Bangladesh

3/28/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo Credit: India Today
Picture
In 2017, benefit concerts are so commonplace, the “cause” these shows benefit often get lost in the shuffle and excitement of musician performing. But in the 1970s, a benefit show was still a relatively novel idea, and had never been executed on a truly grand scale. In 1971, former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar fundamentally altered how music could be used as a conduit to insight change, raise awareness and ultimately funds to help those that are in need.

In 1971, a civil war and resulting humanitarian crisis had broken in East Pakistan, the state which would eventually become the sovereign state of Bangladesh. The conflict created a massive refugee influx, with tens of millions of peoples displaced across the region, leading to widespread disease, food shortages, and suffering among civilians.

Shankar, who was of Bengali origin, feared as he watched people he knew suffer and began scrambling to assemble the musicians around him to do something to help. Eventually, he was able to persuade Harrison that the cause was worthwhile, with the former Beatle putting his full musical force behind the concert. The two recruited an amazing roster of talent including Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Badfinger and others to perform at two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden.

​
The resulting shows raised close to $250,000 for UNICEF, ultimately helping millions of suffering refugees and helped bring Western attention to the widespread issues that were taking place in Bangladesh.

Watch more about the Concert for Bangladesh below: 
0 Comments

A Weavers Story: Rima

3/17/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Behind every piece of Jamdani fabric lies the inspiring stories of the incredible artisan weavers, humans who have unparalleled talents and skills, but also have hopes, dreams and aspirations just like us. To learn more about what life as a weaver in the Golden Village is like, we interviewed Rima, one of the younger artisans working on the fabric used in our Monarch Collection.

At 6AM, Rima wakes up to the sun's warming rays as it begins to bake Sonargaon, the Golden Village, in Bangladesh. She kisses her 18-month old daughter, and is off to begin another day amongst her colleagues, who all have jamdani weaving in their blood.

​
Although Rima is one of the younger weavers in Sonargaon, she is exceptionally talented, having honed her skills over the past 10 years. Her older brother taught her to weave, after he learned from their father, who learned from her grandmother years and years ago. While no one knows exactly how long jamdani weaving has been in their family, it stretches back as far as anyone can remember, creating immense pride, defining their way of life and providing for generations.

On her afternoon break, she comes home to feed and bathe her daughter, giving her mother a break from babysitting duties. Both Rima and her husband work hard to provide not only for the now, but also to save for their daughter's future. After she returns from her afternoon shift, she dives into a meal, freshly prepared by her mother before enjoying a relaxing evening in front of the TV with her family. Tomorrow, her artistry will be on full display again, creating some of the most beautiful and unique fabric on the planet.

0 Comments

A Tiger Paw & the Inspiration Behind a Pattern

3/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Still the most fearsome predator in all of Bangladesh, the Bengal tigers impact on culture and design can be seen across Southeast Asia, from art and music, to fashion and architecture. These majestic and ferocious animals have fascinated mankind for thousands of years, worming its way into the lives of everyday people, often times right under our noses, without arousing suspicion. At Neval, we’ve always been fascinated by the beauty this animal inspires, which is why we were delighted to uncover that one of the principle design motives featured in our fabric, is in fact inspired by the Bengal Tiger!

​
While industrialization and the exponential growth of urban areas around Dhaka have forced tigers out of Sonargaon, they once roamed freely amongst the Golden Village. The weavers ancestors knew the sight of this fearsome predator well, and paid homage to it by incorporating the print into their work. Because the trade is passed down through bloodlines, the print within the fabric lives on even though most in Sonargaon have never seen a tiger in real life. Its this fascinating history and lineage that makes the process of creating Jamdani fabric so interesting.

It also led us to question the history and storytelling behind other fabrics and textiles that are used all over the world. If such a unique tale was lingering right under our noses, what other stories behind the fabric are out there, just waiting to be told? We’ll explore and document our findings in our #StoriesWoven series over the coming months. Stay tuned!


0 Comments

Introducing the Monarch Collection

3/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

Neval’s initial product release, The Monarch Collection, pairs the rich cultural practice of Jamdani weaving with modern design applications to create something entirely unique. Recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in Bangladesh, Jamdani weaving is a historic, hand practiced trade that has been passed down for hundreds of years amongst families.

The weaving is so detailed, and the patterns so sophisticated, that each piece of luxuriously crafted fabric is hand-woven over the course of 100 days or more, and while similar, no two pieces of fabric are ever truly alike. Once the favorite garment of Mughal royalty, the one-of-a-kind quality of the fabric translates to our final product, meaning every garment we create is more than clothing, it’s truly a work of art.
​

Follow our journey as we explore this fascinating process and the stories of the people who create it, all the way from the fabric in Bangladesh to our artisans who create our clothing in the USA.
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Hi! My name is Anadil and I'm the founder of Neval. Growing up in cities as distinct as London, Tehran, Stockholm, Dhaka and Chicago, I was exposed to a diverse array of cultures. I started out in finance working for several multinationals in Chicago. Eventually seeking to combine my love of fashion with building greater cultural awareness, I decided to pursue my dream of being a social entrepreneur. The beauty of rare handwoven textiles from my native Bangladesh drove me to try to honor and preserve the heritage skills of artisans, many of whom are women, and whose livelihood are at risk without support from a wider international market.

    Based in Chicago, I thrive on being part of a global multicultural community. Hope you enjoy my blog!   

    Archives

    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

monarch collection

shop the collection
our journey
lookbook 

explore neval

our story
contact
​blog
Picture

​© COPYRIGHT 2017 Neval. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Live Chat Support ×

Connecting

You: ::content::
::agent_name:: ::content::
::content::
::content::