The Minimalist

“People actually look forward to our shift dresses. I personally like the style too,because they are mostly about precision and clean lines,” says Kirmani.

His collection,true to his style,is a delightful story of short dresses with edgy appliqué work,geometric embroidery and sharp silhouettes. Kirmani’s collection is completely a natural-fabric wonder with 80 pr cent of them being handloom fabric. “I have used a lot of handmade chanderi. There is a machine made variation of chanderi too,but I like the handmade better. There are flaws in the weave – but it has an exquisite soft feel to it,” says the designer who will be back for the second edition of the Kolkata Fashion Week with a new collection.

In fact,Kirmani’s love things handmade didn’t just stop at the fabric. Several of his pieces are hand stitched and hand embroidered. “People usually don’t try a lot of hand embroidery and stitches with a western line like mine. But it’s difficult to replicate the delicacy of handmade designs on machine,” says the designer from Kashmir. However,hand embrioidery doesn’t take the geometric edge off his motifs. “I am completely a graphic design person. So,if I even make a flower,it will have a sharpness to it,it won’t be the sweet girly flower,” he laughs.

Kirmani’s home line,which will be out soon is completely Kashmiri in spirit. For the time being,he is working on curtains and cushion covers in silks. “The home line draws a lot from the Kashmiri design discipline. While the base is mostly white and ivory,it is complemented with embellishments and threadwork in pinks,blues,yellows and blacks,” he adds.

While several of his contemporaries and looking towards tinsel town,Kirmani has his reservations. “It would be a little difficult for me,if I am told to do things which I either don’t relate to,or don’t think is appropriate. But if we can work in a film where I get the kind of freedom when I work as an individual,it would be interesting,” he signs off.