Learning Curves

It is difficult not to notice the glittering ensemble student Sapna Nanda flaunts,as she walks in wearing a skirt and corset top made from recycled packets of chips. “I designed the costumes keeping in mind my theme of a fund-raiser. My client would be a model who would walk down the ramp in this concept wear,” explains Nanda,who has also designed a frilly skirt from the same packets.

Meanwhile,her classmate Meenu Gupta is busy draping a dummy in a flowing kaftan with lots of tassles. “I sought inspiration from the Zulus of Africa. Their clothes have a lot of colour and I have incorporated the braiding technique in the garments,” says Gupta,whose collection boasts vibrant shades like bottle green,mustard yellow and magenta pink.

According to Brar,the students were required to research a particular theme,and accordingly,build up designs and art work. Helping them with creating patterns was assistant professor Rita Kant. Choosing a hippie theme came easy to Nitika,also a student at UIFT. “I like their carefree style of dressing. I also wanted my clothes to reflect a lot of cheer,” she says,displaying her free-flowing dresses,skirts and tunics highlighted with tie-n-dye designs in blue and pink. For Vikas Dhuman,another final year student,the Japanese streets lined with cherry blossoms was a source of inspiration. The young designer ended up making a fine array of dresses combining Japanese floral prints and Indian khadi. “I like working with khadi and wanted to give a new contemporary look to the fabric,” he says. The other themes that stood out included a Barbie collection that brought in mini skirts and tube tops in pink along with a collection in denim dedicated to cowgirls.