HALL of FAME

The market for personalised couture by celebs is restricted to the affluent few who have the money to spend,say designers.

The market for personalised couture by celebs is restricted to the affluent few who have the money to spend,say designers.

What do Priyanka Chopra and Shilpa Shetty have in common with the ultra-posh trendsetters in Hollywood? These divas have embraced Hollywoods latest trend: personalised style. Chopra did a Marilyn Monroe when she recently visited the Florentine headquarters of Salvatore Ferragamo. The actress was presented with her personalised wooden last in a special ceremony at the interntaional shoe brands boutique. She later received her own personalised evening sandal,with rhinestone-crusted 13cm heels and platform,from Salvatore Ferragamo. The material and colour was of Chopra’s choice. The elated actress says,Im delighted to possess my very own customised pair of shoes from Ferragamo. Its every girls dream come true. What makes it so much more special is that its the only one of its kind in the world. I was consulted during the design process,but it was another feeling altogether when I saw my shoes for the first time. The actress,however,is not the first to own her personalised fashion item.

Two decades ago,Jackie Shroff had his rugged pair of denim pants personalised by fashion designer and best friend Anna Singh. The designer had hand-painted the actors denims with colourful tattoos,Mexican heads and animals. The back-pockets had a tigers face hand-painted on them. The pants were such a hit when Shroff wore them,that Singh decided to launch a limited edition of 100 hand-painted jeans. She says,Personalised celebrity fashion is a luxury that celebs want to have. It fulfills their need to be indulgent and promotes their star brand.

But one wonders whether theres a market for celebrities personalised couture and does it find a connect among the masses? Singh says,When we introduced the limited edition,people went crazy to buy Jackies pair of personalised denim pants. But theres no such craze nowadays. Even if the designer is recognised globally,the market for such couture is limited to the people who can afford to buy such expensive items. Its not a trend that will pick up. Stylist Pria Agni adds that personalised collections are a hit among bored rich housewives and not the masses, This kind of couture and accessories are highly priced. The average Indian cannot afford it.

Designers add personalised celebrity style in India is quite different from the concept abroad. Here,its a designers initiative to team up with the celebs,so that they can encash on the brand name. Its known that Indians are label crazy,so people who religiously follow the celebs may make a rush to buy the outfits and accessories launched by them. But the personalised clothesline aren’t cheap. This style is not for the masses and has few takers, says Agni.

But thats not stopping celebrities from launching their personalised couture. Karan Johar recently announced that he would launch his personalised collection in collaboration with designer Varun Bahl,called Karan Johar + Varun Bahl. The range hand-crafted in Italy,is expected to be bespoke and prêt-a-porter clothing in classic. Wonder whether Johars personalised style,is the beginning of a fashion revolution?