Two good

Marwa and Singh have shown here for three and four seasons respectively,but have never met each other. “Isn’t it strange?” asks Singh. More introductions: “I’ve been designing since childhood,” gushes Marwa. “Me too,” says Singh. Besides their love for fashion,both say they enjoy cooking too. “There are two things I do everyday — cook and paint,” says Singh. Marwa is left impressed: “Will you paint for my clothes?” she asks him,which he happily agrees to.

There are some major differences; Singh is an alumnus of the revered National School of Design (Ahmedabad) and Marwa is self-taught. But their love for Indian wear forms a common thread. Upchucking the internationally popular bleak tones of greys and blacks,these two painted their canvas in earthy tones like brown,ochre,maroon and moss. “These are Indian colours and are working well all around the world. A trend is something that you form,” says Singh,taking off his sunglasses and driving home the point.

Marwa considers herself “blessed” when it comes to criticism. “I have been lucky,” she says. On the other hand,Singh has learnt to take criticism constructively. “It is not possible to please everyone and keep with the market trend and your sensibilities. Something will give way somewhere,” he smiles. “But then we are here to do business. It is not just about being creative and taking risks. One aims at making clothes that sell,” says Marwa,as we take a walk to the designers’ stalls,a wonderfully tented area called The Source,right outside the main hotel.

The stalls wear a deserted look. “This time,it’s been dull. Recession is the main cause,” says Singh as he pulls out a waistcoat to show it to one of his customers. “In fact,I do better business in smaller cities like Ahmedabad,my hometown,and Cochin.”

Marwa does well in her native Hyderabad too,and also cities like Bangalore and Chennai. “I also design for Tollywood — Telugu film industry,” she says proudly,while expressing enchantment for Bollywood. “I would love to design for a few movies here because it is going to be a challenge for me,” she says.

Singh has dressed up Anil Kapoor and AR Rahman before.

MANY MUSES
* Sabyasachi
* Yamamoto
* Christian Lacroix
* Nachiket Barve
* Anuj Sharma