Nachiket Barve may be the bellwether of Mumbais fashion scape but his debut at Delhis WIFW has all eyes trained on him
One of the more exciting things about this edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) is the inclusion of Bombay Boy Nachiket Barve. In just four years,a greenhorn in the business by any consideration,and Barve is being counted among the countrys most influential designers.
Im old, laughs the designer who has just turned 30. The last days before a fashion show are so stressful; I just cant get the seating right. Making clothes is the easy part, he says in his Mumbai studio.
Barves first-ever fashion show in the Capital was on Day one of the WIFW,on Saturday. Last season,in April,he only participated via a stall and the overwhelming business encouraged him to present a full show here. His stall would be full of buyers at any point of the day,and we dont think he ate lunch that whole week. Delhi was very good business,so a show was to follow, he avers,adding that he has been selling from the top fashion boutiques (Ensemble,Ogaan,Evoluzione,Aza,White) here since his debut in 2006. Though he once had the Bachchans his parents friends as chief guests,this time,he prefers to let his clothes do the tub-thumping.
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Barve also showed at the Lakme Fashion Week last month,but it was a festive line filled with colour and bling,he says. I had to clean out my head. Now,I feel the lightness,and my Spring Summer collection is more Zen and day.
Its a clean,clever and commercial line of dresses,tunics,coats and a sari in shades of spring citrus,pistachio,salmon,cantaloupe,coral,lilac,toffee and blush. His signature appliqués and cutwork are all there,placed with delicate sophistication.
He insists that his clothes have more body appeal than hanger-style. I always cut half an inch over the size. A dress should skim the body and not cling to it, he explains. Little wonder he earns the nods of teenagers as well as 50-year-olds.
I am most happy when someone can wear my dress as a tunic,teaming it with a churidar and a dupatta, he says,breaking away from the creative control most designers think they exercise. My clothes may be intellectually appreciated by a few,but at the end of the day,fashion must be democratic. It is your dress,wear it the way it makes you feel like straightening your back, he says.
Barve already has a strong client base in Delhi and many of them want to see a collection from him. Delhi has a wide spectrum of clients, he says,adding,There are women who dress to be sexy and others who dress to be stylish.
Whats the bet they both will want a little bit of this guy?
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