My notes on Indian Fashion Designers

Abraham and Thakore

• The never had any shows


• Unlflinching Indianness


• Softer/easier clothing


• softer silhouettes- eastern


• Never very structured cloths


• Always worked with handlooms- small volume help


• Reinterpret the classics


• Favourite Accessory: Scarf


• Favourite fabrics: Cotton/ silk / all naturals

Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla

• Names Bachhan/ LN Mittal / Ambani


• Revitalise Chicken


• Experimented with organzas, chiffons, crepes, silk and Georgette


• Revitalise Zardozi( embroidery in Gold/ silver threads), Badla, Kamdani, Mukaish which is flatterned gold/ silver wire


• Revitalize Aree ( technique of pulling up the thread with each stitch)


• Style statement- India


• Favourite fashion element- embroidery


• Favourite Accessory- Jewellery

Aki Narula

• films- Dil Chahta Hai, Monsoon Wedding, Banti and Bubbly, Garam Masala


• "fashion is 75% styling and 25% design"


• " I am a very bad businessman"


• Evergreen style- white, blue jeans, black bandhgala and Puma sneakers

Anamika Khanna

• She tries to bring new textures to the cloth


• Instinctive fashion designer


• favourite silhouette- the wrap


• fabric- muslin and chiffon

Anshu

• Label " A small shop"


• Film " In Othello"


• " I dont really believe in this 'in' and 'out' business- In India we dont really wear our cloths in a rigid 'in' and 'out' manner"


• Style Statement- should relate to your life. should be easy


• Favourite Accessories- soft shoes without soles


• Fav. fabric- Handloom , silk/ cotton


• Definition of Evergreen style- Lungi, Sarong

Ashish Soni

• Label "Ikos:


• Style Statement: extreme simplicity, flawless lines


• "You need to have an understanding of why people like to wear what they wear"


• Uses no accessories- let the fabric speak for itself

JJ Valaya

• Niftian


• Mogul of Country's billion dollar trousseau market


• Czar of Indian Wedding Bazaar


• designed "Elizabeth"


• Style Statement: Black and white- the fashion full of India- tossed together like a salad


• 1993- used Kutch embroidery on very rough fabric- stitch/ blouses


• Not a great businessman


• Likes to age fabric/ embroideries to give them an antique feel


• Favourite Silhouette- Sari

Kiran Uttam Ghosh

• ready to wear Kimono Line


• "If they are copying your clothes- fine- if not- need to worry about it."


• Silhouettes- Kimono, Sari


• Fabric Favorite- Linen


• Manish Arora- 'fish fry'- Reebok


• Nift 1994


• "I am a very visual person. I keep registring ideas and keep forgetting them. I never jot down my idea. If I forget an idea I know it was'nt great"


• Favoruite Silhouette- 'Matador Jacket'


• definition of evergreen style- A sari

Monapali

• Revive traditional crafts like 'Kantha' 'Madhubani' 'Worli' 'Pattachitra' 'Alpna'


• Forte- combining block print with spary/ smudge print and hand print, cutting through layers of fabric to create a distinct pattern and tearing fabrics to give it a new dimension.


• Used 'Stitch Dye' technique- Japanese Dye technique


• Remember - 'Home is where heart is' , 'It is the east you can sell to the west'


• 'offer value for money'


• fabric- Natural

Monisha and Jaising

Neeta Lulla

• Films- Tamasha, Lamhe, Khuda Gawah, Devdas


• 'Queen of Indian Wear'


• Every thing is completely traditional


• Bad business person


• favourite fabric- Georgette

Puja Nayyar

• NIFT


• Idea- crushed and textured look, adaptability to any silhouette


• Favourite Accessories- Bags


• Naturals- Muslins, Linen, Cotton

Raghavendra Rathore

• about the old-world woody charm-smell of hunt/ rumble of hooves


• made a 555 anti pick pocket trouser

Rajesh Pratap Singh

• NIFT 1994


• Cant really shirt


• Best seller- white shirt


• Never make a certain style twice


• minimal silhouettes


• hates being photographed


• What is luxury- Choice


• Fabrics- Wool/ Muslin


• Evergreen Style- Bandhgala/ denim

Ranna Gill

• Nift-1991


• Trained at Donna Karan


• Morocco inspired kaftans


• Dazzling sequin-shimmer tunics and pants


• Best business ideas- Kaftans, sari, kurta and ponches


• No business mind


• fav. silhouette- classic blue jeans


• evergreen style- Sari

Ravi Bajaj

• Most Expensive Ready to Wear
• "They customers- you give them 10 choices- they want 20, you give them 20, they want 100"
• Known for using flower motif
• There is no such thing as 'in' or 'out' in fashion. Every thing is always 'in ' and everything is always aout
• Luxury- choice
• Fav. Garment- Fishtail evening gown
• fav. Accessory- Scarves

Rina Dhaka

• Goddess of Oomph clothing
• Gave us the Lycra Churidar
• Made kurta, blouse and Churidar from Lycra- fitting form- her forte
• fav. fashion element- her clothers soft of pull across the bust in a criss cross, and there are a lot bare backs
• Evergreen style- A sari

Ritu Beri

• Only Asian designer to have ever headed a French Fashion House, Scherrer
• 17 shows in Paris
• NIFT 1988
• Client- Madhuri Dixit, Bill Clinton, Nicole Kidman
• Style- " I make clothes that I see myself wearing'
• made her models look a little masculine
• Fav. silhouette- well fitted blue jeans

Ritu Kumar

• Knowledge of textile heritage
• Films- Bollywood/ hollywood, Road to Laddakh, Little Terrorist
• Always interested in Fabrics
• Likes- unstitched garments/ chunni/ classic cuts

Rocky S. (Rakesh Singhvi)

• Clients- Ritik, Shah Rukh, John Abrahim, Laara Dutta, Esha Deol, Priyanka Chopra
• Films- Koi Mil Gaya
• To nice to be a businessman
• fav. fabrics- lycra and georgette
• Evergreen style- blue jeans, white shirt

Rohit Bal

• First designer that understood the connection between revelry and fashion. He realised that it it in the clubs and pubs, discotheques, lounges and even private parties that trends are build
• Male models wear sindoor
• Collection of skirts of men
• Clients- Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Anna Kournikova
• Tied with Titan
• Started discotheque "decibel"

Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna

• Funky street smart clothers- leather jackets/ racy shirts
• Brand- H2O, Cue
• Do wedding clothes for men
• also do Kaftans
• fav. silhouette/ garments- G. Strings, oops, shirts, skirts

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

• NIFT 1999
• Large Bindis
• Thick Black Spectacles
• Not v. good businessman
• Fav. silhouette- A-line
• Def. of Evergreen- A starched cotton saree

SatyaPaul

• Creater of Trouser Sari- which comes prestitched and can simply be worn like a pair of pants
• Fav. silhouettes- Sari, Lungi

Shahab Duraji

• Superbly cut Jacets/ Pantsuits/ shirts and blouses
• "If you are not dressing for yourself you are doing it wrong, no matter how beautiful/ expensive the clothes are"
• " I dont consider myself a fashion designer. I am a stylist as I am constantly interpreting past and present styles trends for the future. It doesnt have to do with forecasting, but an equation with your sensibilities"

Shantnu and Nikhil Mehra

• Brand- Pearl
• Indian Cricketers donned their clothes, walked the runway in 2004 India Fashion Week

Sonali Mansingka

• Label- just urban
• Her jackets, T-shirts, blouses and pants allow career women to carry style to the office, and then, take her effortlessly to a party straight from work.
• fav. silhouette- the skirt
• fav. fabric- soft silk/mulmal

Suneet Verma

• Got to do the 125 outfits of LN Mittal's daughter's marriage
• not a very good businessman
• fav. silhouette- the wrap
• fav. fabric- stretch satin

Tarun Tahiliani

• 'Karl Lagerfeld of India'
• Wharton B-school graduate
• "Draped silhouettes are uniquely India"
• "Where in the world can you get a large woman buy a length of fabric for Rs. 1000 and look elegent. In West all your finely tailored pantsouts still make you look fat"
• "my fashion is all about wrapped, tucked and draped"
• created jewelled T-shirt with Mughal Motif
• Fav. fabric- Jersey

Varun Bahl

• NID graduate (evening course)
• A single sleeve shawl- can be slipped on like a jacket on one side and left flowing to be wrapped like a shawl on the other.
• silhouette- skirt
• accessory- scarf
• Evergreen style- sari

Wendell Rodricks

• Lives in a village in Goa
• No newspaper/ no TV ( no trend influence)
• no embroidery/ embellishment
• clothes flow/ drape
• visionnaire collection- details about fabric in Braille
• "I design 95% of every day clothes"
• designed first ever Kurta Shirt- No cuffs, shorter, no pockets, no buttons