The start of this year saw one of the countrys ace couturiers,Suneet Varma,raise a toast to his labels silver jubilee celebrations with a coffee-table book titled Suneet Varma (Niyogi Books). The photo-intensive book it packs in more than 500 images shot by fashion photographers such as Prabuddha Dasgupta,Bharat Sikka,Farrokh Chothia and VibhashTiwari is as much about the evolution of the Indian fashion industry as it is about Varma being one of its leading designers in the 25-year period. In what seems to be perfect continuity to the celebrations,the book has now been awarded the first prize in the Best Art Book (English) category by the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) for Excellence in Book Production,2013. Elated by the news,the designer said,The book has been in the making for a decade and it has been such an incredible learning experience for me. The book has been authored by Nishat Fatima and includes inputs by several industry experts and designers such as David Abraham and JJ Valaya,as wells as views of Varmas students and assistants. The 296 pages of the book are split into chapters such as Art,Inspiration and Muse; Styling and Accessories; Couture; Texture,Motif and Embroidery to Design Collaborations. It offers an insight into Varmas creativity,the journey from the birth of an idea to the research process,its struggles,the final product and the shows. The book was formally unveiled by the French Ambassador to India,Francois Richier,at an event held in January this year. Jagmeeta Thind Joy
