Designer duo Rimple and Harpreet Narula, who are all set to unveil their brand new collection at the “India Couture Week” over the weekend, do not believe in half measures whether it comes to sharing their love for globetrotting or participating in the celebration of couture.
Having a wide experience on the fashion circuit, including showing at The Hindu Bridal Mantra -2011 in Chennai,they recently rounded up their foreign jaunt across West Asian countries to derive inspiration for their collection. Though the couple, extremely committed to fashion, could not make it to Pakistan’s rugged terrain of the North West Frontier Province, they nevertheless drew motivation from the art and craft of the region.
An avid photographer, Harpreet captures whatever catches his fancy – be it a mesmerising medieval monument in Turkey or Islamic architecture in West Asia. And then he and his wife, who launched their label in 2000 when they got hitched, goad their team of artisans to do something on those lines.
While Harpreet’s strength lies in giving his own interpretation to the art and craft of West Asia, Rimple’s strength is in giving finishing touches to their collection.
Shedding light on his collection, Harpreet says the eternal wanderlust of a soul-searching drifter, a never ending quest for beauty and spiritual transcendence are the driving force behind the collection. “Inspired by the nomads and wanderers that used to abound the North West Frontier Province, the Thar and Sahara Deserts, ancient Persia and Syria, the collection is an eclectic interpretation of their way of life, their journeys across the sands of time.”
Chipping in, Rimple says the collection is basically the story of a journey from Nagore to Persia. “It is an eclectic collection epitomising luxury. Though we have drawn inspiration from different lands, we have created our own textures.”
Harpreet does not think that the six-day-long event will be targeted more for the paparazzi. It will certainly be targeted to draw attention of serious buyers from India and overseas.
“The FDCI organised ‘India Couture Week’ is the country’s biggest platform with the best of fashion to offer on the grandest scale possible. The event strikes a fine balance when it comes to both media as well as actual potential buyers from the world over, thereby giving the participating designers access to not only actual consumers but also to a conduit to a larger audience.” A pragmatic person, who does not lose his confidence even if he has lost his wife in a crowded street in Istanbul, Harpreet is hopeful that the upcoming event will generate good business.
“As an organisation, the FDCI has single-handedly promoted the Indian fashion industry to the global media and market with a vision of bringing it to a level on par with the international fashion industry. As a body it has brought together the best of the creative talent in the country related to the industry — the best models, choreographers, set designers, stylists, and photographers. With such a strong support base that the FDCI gives the showcasing designers as an intermediary, the upcoming event is surely going to set a benchmark of a global standard and present a great business opportunity to the designers.”
Being around for 10 years, the Indian fashion industry is at a nascent stage compared to the international one. “With the FDCI’s vision and focused approach to organise it, we have come a long way. However, there is still a long way for us to go if we want to compete at a global level for market share. The media is an essential ally for us to target a larger audience base. The hype created by it around the event is required to achieve this objective.”
One of the negative aspects of the fashion week is that it inadvertently gives more attention to glamour and less on the quality of the fabric, the richly embroidered garments, accessories and the make up. Even the designers have to take a back seat. “Every designer has his or her own take on fashion and their individual brand philosophies. Some designers make extremely fashion forward glamorous garments while others are more like fashion revivalists, revisiting and reinterpreting age old Indian crafts and techniques, and giving them a contemporary twist for the modern consumer. There is space for all and each has their own specific target audience to cater to. An event like ‘India Couture Week’ is all inclusive giving each participating designer a platform to share their vision.”
