Knit Picks

One didn't need to hear the hullabaloo in the background to sense the business in his voice.

Designer Raman Vij,a Punjabi wedding wear specialist,to showcase his subtler side at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2009

One didn’t need to hear the hullabaloo in the background to sense the business in his voice. The last couple of months have been like that for Raman Vij. The 37-year-old designer,a familiar name in Punjab when it comes to wedding wear for both the bride and the groom,is all set for his big show on March 18 in the Capital. That’s when the country’s leading models will walk the ramp in his creations to be viewed by the global fashion frat. “So far,I have been putting together a lot of commercial work,be it with my men’s wear line or my trousseau specials. That’s my bread and butter,” admits the designer who runs his signature store in Ludhiana. But this time around he’s getting to use his creativity “to the extreme”.

“I wanted to do something really different for the show and which is why I chose to work with knits,” explains Vij whose collection titled ‘Metamorphosis’ presents the look for next winter. “Most designers prefer to work with other fabrics but since I have specialised in knitwear design,I decided to showcase the same,” Vij explains his take. It’s after he completed his master’s in knitwear design from the prestigious Nottingham Trent University,UK that Vij came back and worked with leading designers in the country. “But I wanted to make my own style statement and branched out with my own label and store in the year 2000,” he offers a quick update.

Nine years on,after having dished out umpteen wedding specials,Vij was keen to present his other creative side. “Unlike the vibrant tones in wedding wear,Metamorphosis runs on a dull black,grey and white colour palette,” shares Raman as we view pictures from his collection. “The theme that I worked on was evolution of life and how in nature there’s always construction and destruction,” the designer puts forth his take. And if you thought knits were all bulk and heavy,well the designer is happy to walk all over that myth with his creations. “You’ll see long flowing gowns,well-structured garments in my collection,” he adds. And it’s been a lot of hard work to get it all together. “For shows such as the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week,where I open on day one,I had to keep in mind a global fashion audience. And since I know Knits are my strongest point,I decided to get it all in one,” Vij states,a few hours before he drives to Delhi with his hard work in tow. Here’s looking forward to March 18!

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