The Commonwealth Games scheduled to begin in October have some good news — the Capital's Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) Spring Summer 2011 starts later than usual because of it, meaning Ritu Kumar's prêt brand, Ritu Kumar LABEL, will showcase both at WIFW and the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai mid-September.
However, while Winter/ Festive is the theme at Lakme Fashion Week, LABEL, showcasing there for the first time, will send out on the ramp its Spring/Summer 2011 line.
“It's an evening line mostly,” says Amrish Kumar, who heads LABEL with mom Ritu Kumar. “Most of it is abstract. The theme is like A Midsummer Night's Dream; the styling and colour of that time. Actually, it's more about the mood than anything else.”
Ritu Kumar LABEL was set up in 2002 to cater to the growing market for prêt, both domestic and international. So while the embellishments are characteristic of the Ritu Kumar aesthetic, albeit toned down, the silhouette has been tweaked to appeal to a younger clientele.
LABEL's Fall/ Winter 2010 line, called ‘City Scape', was, yes, all about the city. Ash, black, steel and ochre, with an occasional crimson and saffron, dominated a sombre palette that dwelt on different shades of a concrete jungle. While asymmetrical was a recurring theme, little details, like zippers on mod brocade tunics and bandhej hoods on dresses, came on a collection that was chic, if a little too safe.
Comparing ‘City Scape' to the line to be showcased next month — on September 18, Amrish says, “City Scape was a very structured, very moulded silhouette. In the Spring/Summer line, it's going to be very flowy, softer; a more easy shape.”
The team is in the throes of developing the fabrics, working on silk, jersey and cotton.
In terms of embellishments, “there's not too much.” Says Amrish, “We're working on the embellishments — dyeing them, distressing them, twisting them.”
The showcasing in Mumbai, expectedly, could also lead to expansion of retail presence in that city.
Plans extend not just to LABEL but the Ritu Kumar brand overall. “Overseas, the brand won't have the bifurcation as in India. We're looking to expand our retail footprint, looking for a distribution partner in two to three international areas. We want LABEL to get more international,” reveals Amrish. There will be more activity in the accessories department too, but for specifics we'll have to wait.
