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Journalism of Courage
IT8217;S a question designer Nandita Basu8217;s been fielding ever since she launched her autumn-winter collection, Shanta Rao Goes to Rajasthan, earlier this year. 8216;8216;People keep asking me why I came up with such a name for my collection, and I tell them that it8217;s how my collection was born,8217;8217; says Basu.
Shanta Rao, Basu8217;s muse, is a half-Indian, half-French fine arts photographer with whom she toured Rajasthan. The journey threw up facets of the state Basu had never seen before. 8216;8216;It was like looking through an outsider8217;s eye, trying to gauge her roots through various experiences,8217;8217; says Basu. So she wove her reflections into her clothes and came up with a collection that captured the spirit of discovery.
From comic characters and political figures to devdasis, theme-based collections are increasingly dominating the ramp. Take for instance Kolkata designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee8217;s latest, The Nair Sisters. It was inspired by his south Indian neighbours8212;two adolescent sisters living with their widowed father. 8216;8216;They often wore their father8217;s shirts over skirts and trousers. The ill-fitting shirt made them look vulnerable and younger. It set me off on a collection that didn8217;t have everything in picture-perfect condition,8217;8217; 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. 8216;8216;I like imperfections in people, it makes them seem more human,8217;8217; 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 Valaya8217;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.
Valaya8217;s choice was motivated by Tintin8217;s adventures across the globe, through which Herge created a world where reality and fantasy coincided. 8216;8216;It was my tribute to one of my favourite growing-up influences. Getting into the mind of one of modern history8217;s greatest creators was demanding. My collection focuses on the fact that Herge was an avid traveller,8217;8217; says Valaya.
For all the hype created by Paulo Coelho8217;s The Alchemist for its spiritual content, it is still an odd choice of inspiration for a pret line. Designer Payal Jain8217;s spring-summer 2006 collection, The Wandering Mendicants, is based on Coelho8217;s bestseller. 8216;8216;I based it on the journey of the young boy across the desert and how the multicultural experiences enrich his life,8217;8217; says Jain.
This is not the first time that Jain has worked on something like this. 8216;8216;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,8217;8217; she says. Her next collection8212;fall-winter 20068212;has been inspired by a fortuitous meeting with an artist while travelling through the US.
Another personality, albeit posthumously, inspires Rina Dhaka8217;s spring-summer 2006. Her Queen Victoria, with high collars, lace, ruffles and tulle, emit the primness of the erstwhile empire. 8220;In international fashion, the stress is on Victorian fashion, but it8217;s upto designers to interpret it,8221; 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.
