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Designer rip off, filmi-ishtyle
The tasselled chiffon poncho from Suneet Varma's Fall/Winter 2003 collection is teamed with bootleg trousers embroidered with threads, beads and sequins.
The tasselled chiffon poncho from Suneet Varma's Fall/Winter 2003 collection is teamed with bootleg trousers embroidered with threads, beads and sequins. The "copy" worn by Rani Mukerji is on the right. Don't miss the similarities in surface detailing. Plagiarism, says Suneet Varma. Ignorance, claims Aki Narula. Is Rani flaunting a copycat's creations in Bunty Aur Babli?
It is a rip-off with a filmi twist. And it involves two top designers. Options, a Mumbai-based store, allegedly copied a Suneet Varma design priced at Rs 14,500 and sold it to Aki Narula for Rs 8,000. Narula, in turn, used it to dress Rani Mukerji in a song sequence for Bunty and Babli, Shaad Ali's new venture.
The creation in question is a double-layered chiffon poncho with silk tassels from Varma's Fall/Winter 2003 collection. It is teamed with a black bootleg trouser with ethnic border art work embroidery. Varma says he will take up the matter seriously. "I was appalled to see the picture of the outfit in a newspaper and I will see to it that the copycat is dealt with legally," he says. "I showcased the creation in my Fall/Winter 2003 collection and the same appeared in advertisements in Elle, Femina, Verve and Libas." According to Narula, who designed the clothes for the film, this outfit was sourced from the Mumbai store. "One of my colleagues bought it from Options for Rs 8,000 and we have the bill with us," he says. "I didn't know whose creation this was. There was no label on it."
Plagiarism at the LIFW has always been a cause of concern for Indian fashion designers. The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) was extra-cautious in selecting the buyers this time as designers fear copycats walk into fashion weeks in the guise of buyers. "Boutiques blatantly copy designs showcased at the Fashion Week," says Varma. "Boutique owners make their rounds at shows and stalls and copy our designs. I object to this strongly and demand that the FDCI and the fashion fraternity wake up to this rude reality and put a stop to blatant and shameless plagiarism."
