Stylephile

The designer says he8217;s always had tradition up his street, but it has never acted as a deterrent to innovation. 8220;Tradition and superstition are two different things. In India, they tend to confuse the both. But things are changing,8221; he adds. So, Bridal Sutra is a controlled explosion of colours familiar and unfamiliar. From blacks, deep greens, midnight blues and rusty reds Mukherjee8217;s palette graduates to hues of sapphires, rubies, and burnt metals.

While the bride can choose from lehengas with interesting Uzbekistan gara borders, kurtas, kalidars, and sarees with handpainting and brocade work, the groom will be spoilt for choice by intricately embroidered sherwanis, kurtas, and safaas. 8220;My colours are those that would make any Indian woman look beautiful without going over-the-top,8221; says Mukherjee about the collection on display at 85 Lansdowne.

His affair with things on the other side of the regular and it8217;s relevance to this city, does make you ask the obvious question. Where does the city figure in the fashion map of the country? 8220;There are a lot of fashion designers from Kolkata now. They are also showcasing in the major fashion weeks in the country,8221; says Mukherjee. However, quality is yet to match up quantity. 8220;But there are exceptions. Look at Anamika Khanna. She is doing fantastic work and is retailing from Paris8230;8221; he rattles off.

Kolkata, says the designer, had turned into quite a 8216;hub8217; for aspiring design people. 8220;The labour here is very cheap. You get karigars here for a pittance,8221; he says. But there8217;s a lot left to be desired if Kolkata has to be considered a serious fashion destination. 8220;There8217;s hardly any infrastructure in place to facilitate fashion and textile designers,8221; says Mukherjee. As for example export houses. 8220;Most export houses in the city deal in leather,8221; he says.

So, how does all that come together with his plan to open a cooperative that would work with artisans based out of Bengal? 8220;I haven8217;t got time to sit and plan out things. Two films and the upcoming fashion weeks will be keeping me busy for the next three months. I8217;ll get down to work thereafter,8221; he says.

Mani Ratnam8217;s Ravana, which stars Aishwarya Rai and Abhishekh Bachchan and another film are keeping him busy. Though he is not willing to reveal the designs up his sleeve, he says his taking up a film assignment has a lot to do with the creative freedom. 8220;I look at what I can offer and what I can work on. The people involved in the film is of utmost important,8221; sums up Mukherjee.