Rediscovering India, the designer way
Sumona Roy

TOM Ford is the latest in the long list of international fashion legends to be looking at Indian ethnic wear for inspiration. Recently, at a show for the House of Gucci, he created a sensation with his latest collection of jeans, using black Rajasthani cloth encrusted with tiny mirrors. The effect was dramatic.

Little wonder then, all those Indian designers who were feverishly monitoring trends in the West, are now turning homewards for inspiration. This process of "rediscovering India" has led to some truly enchanting stuff hitting the ramps after a very long time.

For instance, there’s Delhi-based J.J. Valaya who has shifted his attention from reproducing the works of western artists like Andy Warhol, Tamara De Lempicka and Salvador Dali to making a celebration of pure colours from sugared pastels to intense bolts of yellow,orange, turquoise and red to the softest of ivories.

"It is quite amazing how India is the focus of public imagination this season," remarks the rotund Sardar. "This is purely because of the diversity and unlimited wealth of inspiration, be it in terms of fabrics, crafts, festivals and colours that India offers."

From a collection of Nehru jackets done with three-quarter sleeves and teamed with slim pants and a delicate, inner piece of chiffon, Valaya has ventured into the grandeur of the Mughal era with hugely ornate kurtas and achkans in linen and custom silks having intricate stitch details and the finest of surface embellishments. The sparkle of Swarovski is the only foreign import.

The pageant of colours also finds expression in Ritu Kumar’s rather folkish collection, inspired by the wind-swept deserts of Rajasthan. There are free-flowing lehariya silk blouses and striped bandhini kurtis jostling with odhnis and turbans in shades ranging from earthy indigos to feisty fuschias and bright pastels.

"Being a desert region, Rajasthan has a distinct design sensibility that is suited for the summer months in terms of the colours, fabrics and tones that ward off the heat," says the designer, while recommending that her kurtis and blouses are best teamed with casual blue jeans or twill trousers in block, mojri or booti prints.

Yet another Rajasthan-inspired collection shows up in Priyadarshini Rao’s large, flared ghagras with a "modern touch". In two distinct materials — cottons for daywear and printed Bangalore silks for the evenings — these luxurious skirts are meant to be worn low-waisted without heels.

"In Rajasthan, the volume of a woman’s ghagra is an indication of a woman’s material status," Rao points out. "My skirts are designed in a manner that can be worn with a patchwork top, a crushed kurti, a halterneck with tie-ups or even longer kurtas hitched up at the waist with a leather or mirror-work belt and brightly embroidered jootis."

In almost the same vein (but moving away from Rajasthan), there’s Krishna Mehta, redefining street fashion. "We are doing a lot of kurtis in chiffon and silk with an abundance of Indian motifs like small paisley prints, elephants, peacocks, horses, camels and flowers in typical chain stitch, using zari, ari work, detailing with stones, mojri embroidery, rouching, crinkling and crushing of the fabric," she informs.

"While cutting and styling is the forte of the West, our strength lies in our rich textile heritage," explains Kolkata-based Sabyasachi Mukherji, who is charting a new course this season, distinct from the "bohemian look" that has been his trademark style so far.

"We are noticing a clear shift in the attitude of the Indian consumer as she moves towards purer forms of garments," observes the designer, who is experimenting with handlooms in the form of Bengal taaths, linen,chiffon and muslin, along with Madras checks and kanjeevarams, vibrant mangalagiris as well as elegant mundus from Kerala.

Unlike most other designers, Mukherjee points out that eventually minimalism will rule the Indian ramp. "The shades are more neutral than ever before, the look completely uncluttered and devoid of excessive ornamentation and bordering on nudes, embodying a ‘widow’ look."

He finds an echo in David Abraham and Rakesh Rathore, whose design elements are drawn from the humble dhoti. "Our sarees are woven in South India and Bengal and are mostly in cotton and silk blends," they add. "We have accentuated them with broad bands of colours, inlay motifs and contemporary striping that portray the traditional fabric in a modern context." — MF