Kotwara Next

Sama was an enticing collection because it brought in contemporariness as a gentle rustle,without upsetting the old order of things. There were the ghazals till the show began,only to be taken over by boisterous qawwali and Damadam mast kalandar,lifting spirits as the palettes changed. A satin bootie,walked in with a traditional red,fussily decked up bridal ensemble,trademark Kotwara chaura pyjamas with kurtis in gota patti. A small nude-coloured net frock with black applique came down the ramp,too,holding its own among traditional garments.

It was as if a young girl was walking unselfconsciously amid her fashionable aunts and everyone loved what the other was wearing. “It was Sama’s idea to do the can-can skirts. She bounced off the idea with me and it sounded good,” gushed mummy Meera as Sama,dressed in a self-designed black ensemble paired with pouty red lips,joined the conversation.

It has been more than a decade since Kotwara was launched as a label. Today it is steered by Meera and Muzaffar Ali with each letting the other do what they are good at. “It’s very effortless really. Muzaffar is the creative think-tank and I like to oversee production. It’s a good balance,” Meera points out. Tipping the balance for now is Sama. “With her,we are looking at Kotwara from a young person’s point of view. This infusion of contemporary ideas and styling is just the start,” says Meera. It seems the daughter is not too fond of in-your-face styling either. “I love earthy shades myself. I am well aware of how Kotwara is a symbol of understated classic elegance. My contribution is more to do with the silhouettes for this collection,” says Sama,adding that she had got “all support” from her father as well. “It keeps the two of them busy,” quips Ali whose contribution to the Sama collection was a line of pastels in crepe and chiffon in flowing silhouettes,delicate applique and blink-and-you-will-miss-it ombre.

“I wanted authorship of the palette. It’s easy to buy fabric and then add colours to it. But in this case,I have created the look using more than 20 hues. It’s a fluid painting created by me,” says Ali. The designer,who is also finishing the script for his next film,couldn’t have put it better. “It has taken me nearly nine years. The script is reaching its end but I am not sure if casting the lead male character would happen any time soon,” says Ali. He,however,shares that it’s going to be a period film. “I’ve always liked to go into details and a period film allows me to do that,” he adds. Something tells us that Sama would have work on her hands.