A life of sun, sand and glamour

Priyadarshini Paitandy talks to Narresh Kukreja of the designer duo Shivan and Narresh about the changing swimwear scene in the country

December 19, 2014 08:43 pm | Updated 08:43 pm IST

 SHIVAN & NARRESH SS'14 Lookbook10

SHIVAN & NARRESH SS'14 Lookbook10

What lies beyond the slash, beyond the strategically introduced slit? Apparently, a mix of art and science. After all, contrary to popular belief, swimwear designing is serious business in India. Shivan and Narresh’s Autumn Winter collection titled Fontana is all about swim and resort wear in bright colours and is inspired by artist Lucio Fontana’s work that involves vertical cuts along canvases. “We came across the artist’s work in New York and liked his minimalist sense of style. He tried to explore the third dimension in two-dimension space and his canvases used colours like sea green, canary yellow, black and white. It got us thinking about how something like that would transcend into a wearable collection,” says Narresh Kukreja.

Bikinis, trikinis, maillots, pareos, linen dresses, gowns, palazzos, shorts, crop tops, bikini saris and neoprene lehengas comprise the collection. The colour palette is akin to Fontana’s canvases and includes sea green, corals, canary yellow and monochrome.

With destination and beach weddings gaining popularity, the neoprene lehenga is what brides can rejoice in. “Neoprene is a sporty material that is water-resistant. It’s light and dries quickly…so even if the bride gets wet in the sea or is thrown into the pool, it shouldn’t hassle her,” laughs Narresh. The lehengas are embellished with jewel-like patterns using Swarovski crystals and resin. “Sometimes we have clients who call us from their honeymoon to thank us for their wardrobe and they tell us they love the way they look,” he says. 

What’s also interesting are the bikini saris made of Italian jersey. They don’t crush easily. “You do not want to spend your vacation or honeymoon ironing your silk saris. With these bikini saris you can transform from the beach to the bar look in under a minute,” he says. The innovative bikini sari is also what the designers recommend for women who want to look sexy in a swimwear but do not want to show skin. The designer duo has truly brought about a transformation in the Indian beachwear scene. Otherwise who could ever imagine sari as a practical beachwear?

When Shivan and Narresh did their first show in India at Lakme Fashion Week in 2010 and launched their brand here, there was the initial hesitancy from well-wishers. “‘You are mad. It won’t work. Where are you going to find women to sell bathing suits to?’ This is what they said,” he adds. But the holiday seasons and honeymoons keep them on their toes with December being an exceptionally busy month.

And what made them get into swimsuit designing? “We didn’t think too much about it. We were in Italy where there was a mature market for it. Also this profession allows us to marry our passion for painting and illustration. The body is our canvas.”

Given the successful lines for the ladies, the duo is planning to launch something for the men and kids as well in future. He says, “We have been getting requests from our clients saying ‘Can you make my husband look as good as me?’”

(Fontana is on display at Evoluzione today)

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