What inspires you to design?
One thing we definitely know is that misery and sadness doesn’t inspire us. Human spirit, happy memories, travels or even inanimate objects like a broken wall with a banyan tree (incidentally that’s the name and inspiration of our first collection) can spark a whole lots of images in our heads. We are affected by daily lives, the socio- economic climate as well as stories which transport us to a different world.
What according to you is the top trend of this year?
We believe wearing non-labelled clothing is a top trend for the year. Clothing which will not scream a label, rather it will compliment ones personality.Trends come and go but finding the classics, is the toughest.
Your comments on:
Deconstructed Silhouettes
Only the cleverest can execute the technique successfully and make it palatable for people to wear in real life or else, deconstruction can just be a theory or just a dull, flat way of recycling old clothes.
Unisexual fashion
We have been creating clothes for our own personal wear which end up being preferred by both the sexes. There was no conscious decision of making them unisexual, but the idea of blurring the gender divide through clothing is very powerful in itself. So we continue designing clothes, prints etc which blurs this line.
Education given at fashion schools
There are too many institutes which have mushroomed over the last decade which end up producing thousands of wide eyed graduates who want to follow the dream of being a successful designer without realising the hard work that goes behind these success stories. We are talking more of quantity and less of quality students which is a shame.
Fashion in uniforms
Uniforms as a concept in India has not evolved much. Only in recent times we have seen companies like Indigo creating new looks with the help of designers like Rajesh Pratap Singh who has done a commendable job with it. But it is an area which has a lot to be explored. A lot of stories or brands could be created by creating the right kind of functional uniform.
What are the three must have colours of the season?
Nude, Black and Midnight Blue and White
Name a person you would love to design for-
Sarah Jessica Parker
Name a film character that you’d love to dress up–
Umrao Jaan
Which is the most aesthetically appealing city according to you?
Very hard to choose. Maybe Delhi, for its sense of space and balance, its history as well as its contemporary architecture. And Kolkata- for its sense of method in the madness, and surely Sydney for being perfectly cradled in between the sea and the wilderness of flora fauna of Australia.
Name a city with the worst fashion disasters-
Delhi again, with its overdose of bling and its brand hogging attitude.
What is your dream project for the fashion industry?
To run clusters of weavers who will go on innovating with the times and continue producing textiles which will fuel the fire and passion of the industry.
Which is the one must-read book on fashion
None as such
Music you wake up to-
Either Suprabhatam by MS Subbalakshmi or Ek Omkar Satnam.
Food that gets the best in you-
Home cooked meals by Nil while sitting and sharing it friends and family.
