Name Calling

Basu is one of several designers whose collection titles reflect the quirky inspirations behind them. Her earlier collection, Andy Warhol Meets Anna Kournikova, had a range of T-shirts with social and political messages. It saw Basu take up the cause of the Best Bakery case. In fact, her projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a Nazi-like figure also stirred up some trouble. ‘‘It’s all about what’s on your mind at that particular moment when you are at the drawing board,’’ says Basu. So, what’s next? ‘‘I’m waiting for the perfect inspiration to strike me,’’ she laughs.

From comic characters and political figures to devdasis, theme-based collections are increasingly dominating the ramp. Take for instance Kolkata designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s latest, The Nair Sisters. It was inspired by his south Indian neighbours—two adolescent sisters living with their widowed father. ‘‘They often wore their father’s shirts over skirts and trousers. The ill-fitting shirt made them look vulnerable and younger. It set me off on a collection that didn’t have everything in picture-perfect condition,’’ said Mukherjee at the launch.

His 2004 Frog Princess set, for which models walked the ramp with smudged eyeliners and dishevelled clothes, was also inspired by a similar theme. ‘‘I like imperfections in people, it makes them seem more human,’’ he says. Needless to say, with its fairy tale association, a title like Frog Princess also finds instant recall value among the audience.

Delhi designer JJ Valaya’s autumn-winter 2005 collection is a tribute to Georges Remi, popularly known as Herge, the creator of the comic icon Tintin. His show at Lakme India Fashion Week saw children dressed as the boy-journalist on the ramp.

Valaya’s choice was motivated by Tintin’s adventures across the globe, through which Herge created a world where reality and fantasy coincided. ‘‘It was my tribute to one of my favourite growing-up influences. Getting into the mind of one of modern history’s greatest creators was demanding. My collection focuses on the fact that Herge was an avid traveller,’’ says Valaya.

For all the hype created by Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist for its spiritual content, it is still an odd choice of inspiration for a pret line. Designer Payal Jain’s spring-summer 2006 collection, The Wandering Mendicants, is based on Coelho’s bestseller. ‘‘I based it on the journey of the young boy across the desert and how the multicultural experiences enrich his life,’’ says Jain.

This is not the first time that Jain has worked on something like this. ‘‘You always get inspired by something or the other, but now maybe designers are getting more focused on a theme because of the marketing possibilities,’’ she says. Her next collection—fall-winter 2006—has been inspired by a fortuitous meeting with an artist while travelling through the US.

Another personality, albeit posthumously, inspires Rina Dhaka’s spring-summer 2006. Her Queen Victoria, with high collars, lace, ruffles and tulle, emit the primness of the erstwhile empire. “In international fashion, the stress is on Victorian fashion, but it’s upto designers to interpret it,” says Dhaka. And her version of Victorian propriety includes transparent blouses and feminine off-shoulder dresses.

So whether human, fantasy or everyday object, when it comes to creativity, anything goes.