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Reeding the write way

Designer Niki Mahajan finds inspiration in Pushkar for her collection for the forthcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

A DIFFERENT ANGLE Niki Mahajan gives ethnic a modern styling

Rajasthan has always been the centre of inspiration for designers devoted to promoting Indian crafts on the world ramp. One of them is Niki Mahajan and this year for her Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week collection, she has found inspiration in Pushkar. "I went to the Pushkar Mela sometime back with my foreign friends and was surprised to see their excitement. They were matching the local blouses with their jeans."

Niki says rural India has a lot to offer in the world of fashion, provided we adapt it according to the global demands. "I am striving to achieve this. The way the outfits are made in the villages, one can't wear them in Delhi, leave aside West Asia or Europe, where people are much more particular about the texture of what they wear. So I brought some karigars from the State and made them understand the needs of the industry."

Known for her prints and colour, Niki refutes the oft-repeated one world, one collection theory. "You have to adapt it according to the target customer. When people in South Extension and Punjabi Bagh do not dress up the same way, how can one expect one collection could please the customers in New York and Kuwait at the same time? Giving the example of ponchos, Niki who has a staple clientele in Kuwait, says, "They lost out on demand the world over, but the Middle East was still vouching for it till last year. Now they have discovered they do not take care of disproportionate proportions, so this year I have made a few, but with belts to take care of the problem."

Adapting to the world

Explaining the adaptation part, Niki says she has used silk instead of coarse cotton that is used in the area around Pushkar. "It drapes well and suits me, for my collection is autumn winter. Besides I have used velour and velvet, nets and laces, lycra and corduroy." She has also used gota in a way that is evidently different form its perceived gaudy form. Then she has given borlas or discs of different shapes a contemporary look. "I have used them extensively in the belts using fabric around them. There is also adaptation of techniques of appliqué practised in the past. Similarly the shoes in the region are also unique. So I have got them made in suede."

Talking of silhouettes, Niki says she has skirts in both forms - gathered and flounced, quilted jackets and T-shirts. "The overall look is feminine and a nice mix of subtle and bright."Niki, who once made it to headlines for developing a new fabric, reeds, maintains new fabrics could be developed but because of the stringent fire laws in the West, designers require government support in going about it in a more methodical way.

ANUJ KUMAR

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