“I am so sorry, half the things are sold out,” says Sonam Dubal, in a tone half-pleased and yet half-apologetic. It’s a little over an hour since his new collection hit Amethyst, and it already looks depleted. Avid shoppers mill about with purpose, clutching onto kaftans, skirts, tunics, long and short jackets, angarakhas and crepe trousers, and queue outside the changing rooms. It’s all practical, fuss-free clothing.
Something you can slip on and get on with your day’s work and yet easily transition from day to night. “My clothes work for women here because it’s a mix of the traditional and modern,” says Dubal.
It’s all part of the designer’s collection titled ‘After the Rains-Dream Sequins’.
“After the rains, you need to dream. It’s something to lift you from what you’ve been through… a healing period after the rains,” he says. This was also the line he showcased at Amazon India Fashion Week earlier this year.
Ikats, crepes, velvets, silks and georgettes in pink, olive green, red, aubergine, midnight blue and iridescent shades and jewel tones give shape and form to his designs. Sequins, mirrors and dori work add to their appeal. There is a subtle use of embroidery in gold, red, black, silver and copper.
His Sikkimese and Marathi lineage is evident in his works, where influences from these backgrounds are a recurring theme — for example, the use of natural textiles from the region and oriental pieces like the kimono.
There are abstract and marine prints, and the motifs vary from lotuses and hearts to fish and eyes.
The line is inspired by interstellar and spiritual aspects that perhaps come from his connection to Pondicherry.
The place gives him stillness, and it’s where he escapes to every few months to commune with himself away from the bustle of Delhi. That’s also where he gets to work on his book inspired by Marguerite Duras; it follows a diary format.
Dubal has always been in favour of recycling. This line, too, has a few pieces with strips of recycled silk from previous collections. “It’s based on the Buddhist concept of recycling. We don’t waste. People talk of organic clothes, but forget about wastage. Each collection evolves into the next collection,” adds Dubal.
Next, he’s developing a line of easy-wear clothes, which will be devoid of embroidery and prints; snug silhouettes in linen, silk, crepe, jersey and cotton.
And what about his personal style? “My own style is a bit mad. Comfort is what I look at, and I wear a lot of Abraham & Thakore and Rajesh Pratap. I’m a jeans person. My mind is mad, but as a person I look quite staid,” he laughs.
The collection will be available at Amethyst, Whites Road, Royapettah, until December 26, 2015.
