bhubaneswar sujit meher a young designer from the state and alumnus of the national institute of fashion technology bangalore is all set to showcase creations based on folk becomes fashion theme at the nuakhai bhet ghat2013 on september 22 in the garden city meher will be blending odishas traditional handlooms and fabrics with western wear there cannot be a better occasion than nuakhai which is one of the key festivals of western odisha for promoting sambalpuri handlooms in bangalore there are a large number of odias and nonodias who patronize this weave i am targeting them said meher who is now working with eros international a movie production house blaming poor marketing promotional events and customization of products for the waning demand of traditional weaves meher said wearing a saree has a lot of limitations but if we can use the same fabric in trendy modern clothes we can cater to a large section of youngsters born and brought up in dharmagarh a small town in kalahandi district meher felt the need to promote and popularize the traditional state handloom and started working on the concept of design for a cause last year he presented his designs under the theme juhar parivaar which got a rousing applause from both odia and nonodias in bangalore this year i have focused on european evening gowns using ikat and sambalpuri fabrics and motifs the collection i hope will be liked by the young generation as there are a lot of colours and patterns meher added the 24yearold however is disappointed with the state governments response to young researchers and entrepreneurs