“It (FDCI’s Van Heusen’s India Mens Week) gives a bigger platform for young designers to come out,” said model-turned-actor Dino Morea who was the showstopper along with ace cricketer Anil Kumble in Manoviraj Khosla’s fashion show. Dino might have walked the ramp for a well-established designer, but that doesn’t deter him from rooting for the upcoming crop.
As pointed out by Dino, it turned out to be the perfect platform for Jaipur-based Himmat Singh Jaipur. As he demonstrated the journey of a royal prince attired in bandhgala suits, sherwani, Nehru jackets, breeches, Italian cut pants, Jodhpuri pants and colourful safas, the promise came through.
The designer Sunil Sethi, President, FDCI, calls the “surprise find” was rejected membership not once but four times by the apex fashion body. “I got the membership two years ago and was just waiting for the right time and right way to debut. It was a conscious decision to not show at the women’s fashion week. The rejection had hurt me. I had taken it as a challenge to prove everybody who had rejected me, wrong,” says Himmat who runs a fashion label StudioHimmat and has been designing clothes for erstwhile royalty.
For sometime, Himmat managed to transform the swish urban setting of the ramp at The Grand into a Rajasthani fort. Models walked to the tunes of traditional Rajasthani folk “Kesariya Balam” and “Khwaja mere Khwaja” from Jodhaa Akbar with Rajasthani warriors sitting on either side of the ramp. His innovation within the traditional parameters appealed to many. “He surprised me. I didn’t even have fittings with him and look how well I have fitted into this outfit,” said Muzamil Ibrahim, yet another model-turned-actor who was seen in Pooja Bhatt’s “Dhokha”. Dressed in light blue achkan embellished with gold embroidery, he was a prince personified as he walked the ramp for Himmat as the showstopper.
“I had heard a lot of youngsters complain of how such dresses can only be worn during a close friend’s or relative’s wedding and I wanted to address that problem. Be it breeches or hunting jackets, I used denim everywhere to get youngsters to wear it,” explained Himmat. Inherited culture
Himmat inherited culture from his land and skill from his father who established himself as a famous tailor in the ’70s. “Though we belong to a Rajput family, he loved dressing up people and started the famous tailoring company S.P. Tailors. It doesn’t need an introduction in Rajasthan. I worked with him for a while and later founded this label after pursuing a course in fashion from Delhi,” said Himmat shedding light on his journey from the quiet Jaipur to the upmarket fashion world of Delhi.
Himmat is now eyeing the Hindi film industry and the TV reality shows and daily soaps. “My clothes will be contemporary but every costume will always reflect the culture of Rajasthan,” declared Himmat.
