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Scorching the ramp, Kochi style

Hari Anand's collection, `Karma', brought FTV to Kochi and made fashionistas sit up and take notice, writes PREMA MANMADHAN

APPLAUSE TIME Fashion designer Hari Anand on the ramp with the models, at the Taj Malabar. Right: Two of his creations being modelled for the show, Karma PHOTO: MAHESH HARILAL.

The BIG show began sometime around 8.30 pm but the excitement began early, when car after car sailed through the open gates of the Taj Malabar, offloading the best of beauty and clothes in cosmopolitan Kochi. From the foyer, one could see a mini fashion show of sorts unfolding as the invitees trooped in to see the `Karma' collection, the mother of all fashion shows, Sunday last. The Hari Anand - Patti Stren show, FTV's maiden shoot in Kerala, went like clockwork, with nary a discordant note, the overcast skies changing its mood and exposing a crescent moon and a few bright stars, to the relief of Cochin Backwaters Round Table, the energetic organisers of the show. It will be telecast within a fortnight, says the designer. The flamboyant collection, 80 designs in all, was a judicious mix of the traditional and the mod. In 40 minutes flat, the 16 models (14 female and two male models) had briskly displayed them all, thanks to Gautham Pavate, choreographer. Shonali Rosario, Tejaswini, Anchal, Tamara. Archana, Tarun Arora, Shahwar Ali, Shilpa Reddy, Radhika Rao, Arohi Mishra were some of the models who walked the ramp.

The gayathri mantra petered off as the model catwalked on the extra long ramp, all of 80 ft, keeping to FTV standards. The chenda notes lent that majestic feel, adding grandeur to the show, while the models' feet played second fiddle to the rhythmic fusion music.

The breeze, the air of expectancy, the lavish drinks and the delicious chicken, potato and paneer tikkas kept the 400-odd guests happily waiting for the show to begin, while the sumptuous dinner and drinks after the show, was a proper finale to the great Sunday evening.

"The effort brought us closer to our aim of educating one million illiterate children. We got Rs. 1.75 lakhs, which will be given to Round Table India," says Rakesh Ramachandran, the convenor of the show, who was involved with the creativity part of it. Dead tired but delighted at the happy ending, (actually the beginning of another leg of the Freedom Through Education Project) he confided that he did pray hard that the rains stay away. George G. Poothicote was the other Round Tabler, who moved the hard hearted and the Doubting Thomases to pitch in with their money for the tickets, all for a good cause, while the members put in their best, with their money and effort to make a success of it.

Hari Anand, the designer and the little seen hero of the show, is now deluged with deals. "Many buyers have approached me. People from the Middle East are also here, and I have got enquiries from UK and Italy," he gushes. He already exports his collections to New Jersey. There was an Oriental twist, (New York illustrator-writer Patti Stren's cartoons were printed on imported Chinese silk) to his clothes too. The technology of getting the cartoons printed on silk was through support from NIFT, Bangalore. The shirts with these prints, like the white one the designer wore, cost Rs 2, 000. They are available right now at his store, Glada, he says. The saris with the prints are priced at Rs 8,000 and will soon be available in the store. Most of the clothes that were modelled, the convertibles, the stoles, the skirts and wraparounds, as also the saris with embellishments, will be available in a short while, he said. The white pair of trousers with transparent horizontal strips in between, was well appreciated, he feels. He has used DuPoint crepe, chiffon and silk for the collections, apart from things like coconut buttons for that ethnic effect. The Round Tablers walked about in stylish DuPoint crepe white shirts with a bold imprint of a Patti Stren cartoon sitting pretty on their chest.

The bit that will surprise all is that Argentinians fancy saris. Yes, Hari says that he sends readymade saris, with the pleats all stitched together for partywear, to Argentina. The Gulf clientele are into lovely off - white gowns for their weddings. The Arab world loves gowns with Swarovski crystals on them, he disclosed. The highest priced one was Rs 50,000. The embellished saris go up to Rs 40,000.

The Bengali craftsmen are the best, according to Hari Anand. For the collection shown, it took just two weeks to put them all together. "The fit was excellent, as vouched for by the models," Hari remarked.

The chemistry graduate who went on to do his fashion course at J. D. Institute of Fashion and later worked with Tarun Tahiliani and Arjun Khanna, now wants to open an art café somewhere in India, where coffee table books on fashion and art will coexist with clothes, where the beauty conscious will rub shoulders with the artistic ones .

More such shows are in the offing, in neighbouring States as also Kerala, Hari says. Karma Show had Ford India, Samsung, Taj group of hotels, Josco as the sponsors with The Hindu Metro Plus being the media partner.

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