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Indian designer signs deal with Harrods
London superstore Harrods has signed up Indian designer Anamika Khanna to launch her international label Ana-Mika at their designer studio in August.
London superstore Harrods has signed up Indian designer Anamika Khanna to launch her international label Ana-Mika at their designer studio in August.
"Among the clothes that I'm going to sell at Harrods, the most expensive is worth 3,000 pounds," Khanna said.
Harrods signed her on after her Autumn/Winter collection for 05/06 was showcased alongside high profile designers like Jean Pierre Braganza and Japer Conran at the London Fashion Week.
Khanna's collection at the London Fashion Week was targeted at the elegant global woman who takes the city in her stride and immerses herself in subdued luxury. Her relaxed yet contemporary designs were reflected through clever layering and playful textures.
Her pieces were a clever mix of distorted and treated tweeds, lush velvets and wools in different blends. Rich embroidery accentuated each hand-sewn garment and frayed edges were smoothed over with contrast stitching. The colour palette was rich with organic greens, dusky pinks and mid-tone neutrals.
"The support of a corporate house - with their finance, business links and infrastructure is invaluable to a designer," said Khanna, a Kolkata-based designer who carries the she-dares-to-be-different image on her shoulders with aplomb.
But there is a catch. Increasingly, the label and the promoting business house are becoming bigger and more powerful than the designer, with a revolving door system of big name designers working for them.
Then, the identity is of the brand and not the designer, who, sometimes, becomes dispensable as every new designer works within the parameters of brand identification rather than individual creativity.
This overbearing brand clout makes it tough for new designers to start their set-ups.
"It's a paradox that exists," smiled Khanna, who launched her label with two million pounds as angel investment, "but as a whole, corporate backing works wonders."
