Monthly Archives: October 2009

Asmita Marwa

Asmita Marwa believes in fusing the traditional with the global. Her eclectic and vibrant avatar of Kalamkari took the fashion world by storm. Her passion for travelling is truly reflected in her bohemian designs and colour palette. Marwa is one of the pioneers of green fashion who loves to use natural dyes and fabrics. She says, “The challenge is to strike a balance between creativity and using organic products. I even try and utilize the waste Katrans in patchwork, detailing etc”.

Asmita considers herself lucky to have converted her passion into her career. Devoid of any formal training in design but brimming with ideas, she launched her label ‘Asmita’ in 2003 and hasn’t looked back since.

  • Marwa was the first Hyderabad designer to enter the Telugu film industry. She has dressed actors like Nagarjuna, Balakrishna, Preity Zinta, Anjala Zaveri, Shriya, Mahesh Babu, Tabu, Asin, Charmy, and Anushka.

  • Her clientele ranges from pan Indian film stars to world-renowned artists such as M.F. Hussain.

  • March/April 2008: Her debut collection "Gaia-An Awakening” did extremely well. Critics loved her collection of Kalamakari and called it the Show stealer of Day 4 at the LIFW.

  • Was a judge at Femina/ Pantaloons Miss India South Pageant 2009

  • In 2008, chosen as ‘Promising Talent to look out for’ by Vogue

Design for Asmita does not mean just clothes, but spaces, interiors, gourmet food and so on. She believes that fashion is a way of living rather than a way of dressing. Her advice to budding fashionistas, “Fashion is all about carrying yourself. Never ever be a fashion victim. Be critical of what you can carry”.

The challenge in front of Marwa now is to seek a mean between critic and buyer. She is trying to put her designs in the hands of the common women by working on the costing of her products. According to her, “My clothes are not for a hanger, they are for real women. With my clothes you can wear India” .

Asmita currently retails through her signature store Reves d’Etoile and at "xlnc" in Hyderabad and "Aza" in Mumbai and Delhi.

You can catch her at:

Asmita Design, 8-2-603/13/3/N/B, Road 10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500034    

Web: www.asmitadesign.com

Design, Designers and Conversations

This evening at Urban Pind, Greater Kailash, New Delhi, brings together a lot of warm thoroughfares at the wee hours under the dim lighting of the lounge with Dhruv & Pallavi and Hemant & Nandita. The designer duos come together to give a glimpse of their WIFW SS’10 collection and share a few more words across the threshold,  which is otherwise a little difficult affair during the non-stop catwalk sessions of  fashion weeks. 
 
As the cocktails give room for conversation Dhruv & Pallavi tell us a little story about the return to innocence. In midst of mesmerizing music and hush whispers you immediately are carried in a make believe world where you get back your innocence. At some or the other point of time everyone has wished to get back their innocence but it’s like the fruit of wisdom once you have tasted it there is no way back. But they design this castle of illusion where you can imagine what you want to be without caring about the technical details. The colour palette swings from ivory, yellow, to grey in shades that have a very powdery feel as if they plan to vaporize even at the most tender human touch. They use fabrics like satin, chiffons with a restructured mix of crochet, basket weave, hand painting and minimalistic surface texture.
 
Now as wind blows and the lanterns in the lounge start flickering we catch a word with  Hemant &Nandita who says I @m going to ibitz@ this summer. Her prelude to the collection she says is an extension of her winters which have been cold, brown and minimalist so now the she celebrates the summers in their land of Ibitza in her collection of glamorous resort wear. The silhouettes are free flowing easy and relaxed with their forte elements of bold prints and crystal beading.

 

 

Suneet Varma

The foremost couture designer of India, Suneet Varma, is a name that…

Suneet Varma

The foremost couture designer of India, Suneet Varma, is a name that immortalizes glamour and glitz. Having been late to submit his admission form for the National Institute of Fashion Technology Suneet started work with only five thousand rupees in hand and he was provided with one table, one masterjee and one machine by Lekha Poddar which he retains till date. He is also among the board of directors for NIFT and is a mentor for many design students there.
 
Belonging to a family of lawyers, when he was still struggling to finalize a non conventional career options between fine arts and sculpting, his father told him, “If you sculpt fabric they become garments.” And since then he has been sculpting fabric.
 
Now his fashion portfolio encompasses a wide client base from royalty, celluloid, and the glittering stars of the Indian fashion firmament; His associations with some of the strongest international brands make him a designer whose forte goes beyond a one-dimensional profile. His current tie-up as a designer on board with Judith Leiber, the international luxury accessories brand propels him into the global fashion and style circuit.
 
Talking about his inspirations Suneet says, “It could be an image in a museum like I was inspired for my last show, “Belle Epoque” by something I saw at the Louvre in Paris. The fashion week showcase, “Swan Lake” was inspired by the opera of the same name by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. So creating beautiful clothes and constantly pushing the envelope really inspires me.” 
  • Suneet’s plunge into the world of fashion took off upon graduating from the London school of fashion in 1986.
  • It was followed by enriching stints with couturiers Nicole Farhi in London and Yves Saint Laurent, Paris.
  • Suneet has been involved with revival of weaving and embroidery, researching and developing couture embroidered garments for international design houses like Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera, Mary McFadden, and Nicole Miller.
  • Designing and manufacturing embroidered handbags and fashion accessories for the MET, NYC.
  • Uniforms for the hospitality industry and corporate of repute.
  • Conceptualizing and shooting for India’s first and only international fashion programme “Suneet Varma – Style Guru” on Star World Television.
  • 2003 saw the launch of “Le Spice – Suneet Varma” the prêt line by Suneet Varma.
  • Presently the label is being retailed in 25 stores across the country and also being exported to Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuwait, South Africa, USA and London. 2005 also saw the introduction of a menswear line. 
Over the illustrious journey spanning fifteen years, Suneet is acclaimed for solo shows in London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Davos, Dubai, Bangkok, Jakarta and his collection have been showcased at the prestigious couture week in Rome, Italy. In addition he has also launched a ‘Diffusion Line’ (Women’s Wear) in Mumbai during April 2006 which is a bridge between Prêt a Porte and Couture collections. Suneet remarks, “Couture will always mesmerize beyond high street fashion. As I am also an ardent student of art history, you will definitely find my tribute to some beautiful era’s, cultural moments in our history. They are eternal.”
 
Apart from designing for films like ‘Kites’ with Hrithik Roshan, Suneet has had long term associations with Swarovski, BMW India, and Moet and Hennessey.

You can get Suneet at:

Suneet Varma Flagship Store

2nd Floor, DLF Emporio

Vasant Kunj

Manav Gangwani

Manav Gangwani is one of the promising upcoming new Indian designers on the block. His label offers high style and flawless sensibility. He has contributed a lot to the Indian fashion industry and has made an impeccable dent on the same.  Gangwani’s forte has been opulent costumes for women. According to Manav, fashion is all about sensuality. It is about how a woman feels about herself on the inside. Fashion to her is an expression of individuality. Clothes certainly have a profound effect on a woman’s persona which is what makes a woman.

At a young age, Manav recognized his strong inclination towards fashion and designing. He enrolled himself into the Pearl Academy of Fashion in New Delhi  and immediately on completing his course, he began his career with Carma, New Delhi in the year 1999. After that, the adulations and praises for him haven’t stopped pouring in and he has success kissing his foot and as of now, his brand has carved a niche for itself in the upbeat market. He has effortlessly maintained a steady pace, conjuring seemingly fuss-free clothes that metamorphose into chic designer wear once the wearer slips into them.

He loves to fiddle around with lush velvets, luxurious satins, delicate nets, sheer georgettes, golden laces, and beautiful brocades.  The colours that turn him on include black, gold and emerald which are representative of the unrestrained emotions of the humans. His creations have never failed to dazzle the shutterbugs.

Manav Gangwani styled the décor for LOUIS VUITTON event in Oct’2007 where his designs were also displayed along with Louis Vuitton products

He designed & conceptualized an evening for the launch of BARCLAYS PREMIERE in Feb’2008 for the international banking conglomerate  BARCLAYS BANK.

The first Indian designer to open a mens exclusive retail store under the label "MG MEN BY MANAV GANGWANI" at the Square1 Mall, New Delhi in August 2007

Manav Gangwani’s evolution has laid the foundation of a unique youthful opulence, attracting high profile celebrities such as Soha Ali Khan Pataudi, Sharmila Tagore, Ameesha Patel, Riddhima Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Pooja Batra, Zeenat Aman, Suzanne Roshan, to name a few.

Manav Gangwani retails from his flagship store in "The Crescent" at the Qutab in New Delhi, "Sanskrit" in Hong Kong, "Zena Couture" in London, "AZA" in Mumbai & "Samsaara" located across numerous cities.

You can get Manav at:

Address: F-90/26, Okhla Industrial Area Phase-1, New Delhi

Website:

www.manavgangwani.com

Taika by Poonam Bhagat

A unique canvass of art and fashion came alive at The Love Hotel at ai, as Taika by Poonam Bhagat previewed her Spring Summer ’10 collection. A line inspired by the world renowned artist – Joan Miro, she interprets Miro’s Art with a twist, paired with a kaleidoscopic palette of abstract designs.

The canvas for the line is ivory with solid & sheer natural fabrics like linens, chanderis, cotton silks and organza’s in egg white vividly and dramatically embroidered and appliquéd in Miro-esque. The silhouettes are non fussy, sheath, bias, cocoon and tulip dresses, wide bottomed paper bag pants, skirts and tops.

An art installation by Vishal Joshi inspired by Miro with elements from Poonam Bhagat’s designs was the highlight of the eclectic evening. So was the very "arty" sneak peak of a couple of outfits from the collection, by the designer mounted on board and supported on easels! Fashion and art not only co-exist but merge into each other.

The evening saw in attendance the glitterati of the capital like Kavita Bhartia, Tanisha & Robby Mohan, Ammu Saidi, Divya Gurwara, Harmeet Bajaj, Varun Bahl, Arjun Sharma of Select City Walk, Aarti Singh, H.E. Shahid Malik Ambassador of Pakistan, Atul Sikand, Ambika Shukla, Gunjita Dhawan, Bharti Bhalla, Witty Bawa, Seema Puri, A.D. Singh, Thenny Mejia, Amol Vadehra, Anjana Bharagav, Nishant Peralta, Dr. Alka Pande, Sushma Puri of Elite, Bindu Wadehra, Actor Mukul Dev, Inder Sudan, Model Bharat Arora amongst many others.