Skip to main content
Read page text
page 30
City limits HAS PARIS HAD ITS DAY AND NEW YORK ITS NIGHT? Move over Mr Lagerfield… As a swirl of sumptuous silks, dramatic drapes, extraordinary embroidery, mesmerising mirror work and kaleidoscopic colours parade down international catwalks. Bollywood designers have the International market spinning around their little fingers. And the fabric of fantasy has woven its way from Mumbai across to Manhattan, Milan, Monte-Carlo, Munich, Moscow, from Dubai to Durban, Latvia to Lebanon, Spain to Singapore… Indian motifs, traditional themes and embroideries are the rage of the international fashion scene. Since the success of Selfridges – Bollywood fashion saga, Indian designer labels have been eagerly sought by the most prestigious buyers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, Paris's Celine, GalerieLafayette and the exclusive Maria Luisa boutiques (where John Galliano had his first break). “Ensembles with intricate detailing and embroideries stand out from the crazy clutter of American brands, which seem to be doing more or less the same thing every year. It's also the essence of the exotic that fascinates the up market consumer,” declared Komal Mirchandani, who attends Mumbai Fashion Week to buy for her up-market Hong Kong store "Sanskrit". Galliano, Jean-Paul Gautier, Armani, Valentino have long declared their fascination for India's expert craftsmanship imbued with an age-old heritage. Arguably the most exotic and extravagant in the world, sometimes adorned with embroidery in real gold and silver thread or studded with crystal, precious stones and taking years to complete, Indian textiles encompasses an entire gamut of elaborate and magnificent types of apparel, saris, lenghas, shararas, kurtis – the list continues – and needlework techniques representing traditions unique to different regions, towns and villages, a tapestry of the rich cultural heritage and ethnic diversity of India. Indeed, Indian designers travel to faraway villages to source techniques, fabrics, beads and reinvent traditional Indian arts into inspired haute couture creations, that only the elite can afford. Success at international fashion shows has revolutionised Indian fashion. Tapping in to the international market has meant adventurous developments in “desi” designs (derived from the Sanskrit word 'desh' meaning 'motherland', "desi" means "of the homeland" and is a term used by the South Asian diaspora to refer to themselves). Traditional themes are re-incarnated in Western avatars. Noted fashion expert Harleen Sabharwal's Trend Forecasting predicted, "Fashion will witness a new form of fusion called mixed media, which will be a blend of global and traditional trends." Indian designers have grasped that the secret to success is transforming traditional textiles and techniques into contemporary creations with international appeal. Designer Monisha Jasing's sporty ensembles fusing embroideries into western cuts and silhouettes including sexy halter dresses, sassy tops, t-shirts, skirts and trousers are almost exclusively for export abroad to top fashion stores like Harrods.
page 31
29 attire Tarun Tahiliani, who shot to fame when he designed Jemima Goldsmith's wedding wardrobe, (and has since dressed Naomi Campbell, Liz Hurley, Goldie Horn, the Duchess of Kent), was the first Indian to be invited to participate at Milan Fashion Week in 2003. He has subsequently held shows in New York, London, Milan, Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Moscow and at the first ever Durban Fashion Week, paving the way for a host of Indian fashion designers. Designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla were REPRO: the first Indian designers to retail for Harrods. HI RES SUPPLIED Apparently, Mohammed Al Fyad was so impressed with Manish Arora - Look 32 - 0405.jpg their creations which his wife picked up that he asked PLEASE CLIP AND PLACE AS HERE them to design fusion evening wear for Harrods. The duo, renowned for their densely embroidered lavish outfits that captivated international audiences in the Bollywood blockbuster Devdas shown at Cannes, had Judi Dench attired in their creations at the Oscars whilst Oscar-winning British costume designer Lindy Hemming had Bond Girl Sophie Marceau wearing Abu Sandeep in The World is not Enough. Even the conservative Bollywood design king Manish Malhotra recently launched an eclectic East-West fusion collection, whilst Ritu Kumar, whose forte for 30 years has been classic creations drawing heavily on the textile and embroidery heritage of India, has evolved another style for European buyers. Her Indo-West fusion wear has all the trappings of block prints, embroidery and craft inputs with a western twist. Speaking of media hype, no Indian designer has enjoyed as much vibrantly vociferous international press as Manish Arora. Described as “London Fashion Week selvedge.org

Page Text

View plaintext

29 attire

Tarun Tahiliani, who shot to fame when he designed Jemima Goldsmith's wedding wardrobe, (and has since dressed Naomi Campbell, Liz Hurley, Goldie Horn, the Duchess of Kent), was the first Indian to be invited to participate at Milan Fashion Week in 2003. He has subsequently held shows in New York, London, Milan, Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Moscow and at the first ever Durban Fashion Week, paving the way for a host of Indian fashion designers. Designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla were REPRO: the first Indian designers to retail for Harrods. HI RES SUPPLIED Apparently, Mohammed Al Fyad was so impressed with Manish Arora - Look 32 - 0405.jpg their creations which his wife picked up that he asked PLEASE CLIP AND PLACE AS HERE them to design fusion evening wear for Harrods. The duo, renowned for their densely embroidered lavish outfits that captivated international audiences in the Bollywood blockbuster Devdas shown at Cannes, had Judi Dench attired in their creations at the Oscars whilst Oscar-winning British costume designer Lindy Hemming had Bond Girl Sophie Marceau wearing Abu Sandeep in The World is not Enough. Even the conservative Bollywood design king Manish Malhotra recently launched an eclectic East-West fusion collection, whilst Ritu Kumar, whose forte for 30 years has been classic creations drawing heavily on the textile and embroidery heritage of India, has evolved another style for European buyers. Her Indo-West fusion wear has all the trappings of block prints, embroidery and craft inputs with a western twist. Speaking of media hype, no Indian designer has enjoyed as much vibrantly vociferous international press as Manish Arora. Described as “London Fashion Week

selvedge.org

read next page

My Bookmarks

Buy this Book
Skip to main content