The Ubiquitous Cycle Rickshaw Comes Rolling into Fashion Week

They are seen everywhere. All of us have ridden on one and seen them plying as the symbol of India shining on the streets of Chandni Chowk. The ubiquitous Cycle Rickshaw, pulled by a bike as two guests ride pillion on a very decorous, chariot like contraption, is a symbol of sustainable livelihood and ecological sensitivity. As much an icon of India as is the Tuk tuk of Thailand and the beetle Taxis of Mexico.

Giving them an artsy appeal and a very cutting edge messaging, WIFW presents a very unique canvas to contemporary India through thirty five cycle rickshaws that brightly flank both the Main Show areas. An interesting art entrée by Sunil Sethi who off late has been showing how art can step off from canvases and transcend into many new mediums. He invited a few leading designers, young and old to make the everyday rickshaw look like a fantasy space come alive.

And the impact was mesmerizing: The Czar of Indian design, Rohit Bal gave his rickshaw a very beige look including cylindrical looking installation on its umbrella and rendering on the seats a rich, hand embroidered texture.  Rajesh Pratap Singh decided to stick to his fashion theme and create the walls with the symbol of fashion: The scissor that he crafted a full screen out of. Samant Chauhan made his rickshaw musical as he added an old Gramophone, a special store rack for  records and a ‘ bhopu’ as the horn.  Charu Parasher created a rickshaw inspired by Umrao Jaan whilst designers Rahul- Gunjan insisted on calling their rickshaw Gunjan te Rahul di gaddi….Dolly J got inspired by the Barbie Doll sci fi theme and made her rickshaw look like a scene out of Cartoon network as yet another young and very promising designers Jenjum brought the Bamboo greens from their Far Eastern roots to give a Go green messaging.

Installations are of special interest this Fashion Week. As a unifying message that proclaims that we are one, FDCI welcomes all with a large wall featuring shopping bags of all the participants. Suggesting the buyer go on a buying spree at a subliminal level, these bags flanked b a screen by Varun Sardana suggest unity in diversity. Then there are the very yummy creations using marking fabric outside the buyer’s lounge that instantly takes you to every designer’s atelier to the root from which the design process itself begins.

As space personifies sprawl and the halls reach a sense of spaciousness never experienced before, FDCI pulls a coup in installation design… right from the spruced up arty rickshaw to the wall of bags that make fashion a very enchanting talking point.

Posted by : Anshu Khanna  at 11:23 AM