She has designs ON MEN

When Rajvi Mohan, who studied fashion in Britain and the US, was trying to decide what kind of clothes she wanted to make, she zoomed in on men’s wear — because only a woman can tell a man what he looks best in. "Women have that instinct about how men should dress," says Rajvi, who has started her flagship store in New Delhi’s Defence Colony. "We know what we want the men to look like, and usually men are willing to listen to women about clothes."

Rajvi studied at the London College of Fashion, specialising in men’s wear, and then took up a course in fashion merchandising at the Parson’s School of Design in New York. She interned under legendary British designer Vivienne Westwood and worked at Armani Exchange.
The eponymous label, for the present, would be sold at her 1,900 sq ft store and would cater to designer stuff for men.

"Think about the Indian fashion brands — how many designer labels for men can you really think of? And how many can you think of in the women’s division," asks Rajvi.

"There is a huge gap. Everyone is making clothes only for women. But I believe that men today are equally conscious of how they look and what they wear. But all they have are the Allen Sollys and Zodiacs — no dedicated fashion label. That’s what my brand will be."

Rajvi’s first spring summer line covers the theme of ‘a modern playboy’ meeting ‘an old world playboy’ in a contemporary setting — ‘The Maharaja of Vegas’.

There are vibrant oranges, hints of green, a touch of gold and silver, burnt fire reds along with colours of sand and earth throughout her line. The collection is pitched at a low decibel with elements of glitter and colour.

In fact, it is a balanced mix of subtle and bright colours. The emphasis on detailing makes the entire line sophisticated. The fabrics utilised are soft cottons, linen, chanderi, tussar, fine silk, denim and jersey.

Rajvi has also worked on a range of contemporary kurtas with subtle embellishments. Smart linen jackets, basic T-shirts, knits and well-cut denim jeans are among the many other elements that create the collection.

"I believe that men would love to be told what to wear by a woman, and that will be my strength," smiled Rajvi. — IANS