While Ritu Kumar, Ashish N Soni and JJ Valaya have already showcased their creations at the HDIL India Couture Week, eight others are in queue. The designers, who have been paid whopping sums to create exclusive collections, tell their couture stories.
Anamika Khanna
The Couture Week gives a much-required platform to Indian designers to showcase a customised, handcrafted, beautiful India. Indian designers do ethnic clothes the best. So, it’s going to be an event where many new trends will emerge.
Ashish N Soni
My men’s line comprises a modern interpretation of the classical sherwani. The women’s looks are in the form of a slim pantsuit or a slim skirt suit with a feel for modern living.
JJ Valaya
I have been doing couture for ages and feel this should have happened years ago.
Manav Gangwani
This is a platform for the country’s most magnificent designers to let their imagination run amok. My silhouettes will reflect the era of the Mughals and Anarkalis and ornate,
heavily-encrusted lahengas.
Pallavi Jaikishan
At the Couture Week, I am showing ‘La Vie Est Belle — Life is Beautiful’, a collection of a spellbinding ritual of dressing that starts in Europe and ends in Rajasthan. Rohit Bal In India, luxury has always been a passion. The affair with luxury is not recent, but has been a part of our heritage.
Among the greatest civilisations of the world — Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Babylonian and Indian — ours perhaps ranks above all others in terms of sheer opulence. The concept of luxury was, in fact, invented by India. Considering this, the Couture Week is not only relevant to India, but is deeply woven in its philosophy as well.
Pallavi Jaikishan
At the Couture Week, I am showing ‘La Vie Est Belle — Life is Beautiful’, a collection of a spellbinding ritual of dressing that starts in Europe and ends in Rajasthan. Rohit Bal In India, luxury has always been a passion. The affair with luxury is not recent, but has been a part of our heritage.
Among the greatest civilisations of the world — Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Babylonian and Indian — ours perhaps ranks above all others in terms of sheer opulence. The concept of luxury was, in fact, invented by India. Considering this, the Couture Week is not only relevant to India, but is deeply woven in its philosophy as well.
Suneet Varma
My couture collection is inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Elves, angels, birds and butterflies make for a theatrical and lyrical operatic presentation. India has a huge and long tradition of dressing up and celebrating opulence. This initiative to celebrate Indian couture is a great platform for designers like me who believe in and live for the artistic and creative freedom of couture.
Tarun Tahiliani
No ornamentation is too detailed, too fine, too painstaking or tedious. And there can be no predefined hints of the labour of love to weave or embroider for our special events. Semi-precious metals have been woven into clothes. So it is befitting that we now have a Couture Week to service bridal and specific Indian occasion wear.
Varun Bahl
In my collection, opulence combines with sumptuousness to create extravagant yet soignée silhouettes. Manish Malhotra I have always enjoyed making bridal wear and couture clothing. In all my years as a film designer, too, my heavy lahengas and saris [made for the stars] have become a rage around the country.
Ritu Kumar
Our textiles and embroidery sets our fashion apart from the West. My collection for the Couture Week, as always, will showcase Indian textiles in rich hues.