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In queue, not quite in view

They were not on the ramp, but they added to the glitter from the fringes. Meet Suman Nathwani and Rajiv Arora

RAVISHING Tania Zaetta in a Suman Nathwani outfit Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Two runways, 40 shows but still there were few who could not showcase their work on the ramp at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, simply because their breed has refused to grow in the country. One is Suman Nathwani, arguably, country's only lingerie designer. "I wanted a show but FDCI refused for I am the only one in this category." So Suman has to be content with a stall. "Despite the fall in the clothing industry, lingerie segment has shown a 5 per cent rise during the last year," contends Suman.

Kolkata-based Suman started at the age of 17 when she designed for her cousin, who was getting married. "We always used to think of the romanticism of Mills and Boons in our night dresses but at that time there was nothing on offer." Today Suman says she has something to offer for all age groups and occasions. "From teenagers to honeymooners to 70-year-olds. The oldies, who preferred to sleep in blouse and petticoat, can now sneak into stylish short kurtis and skirts." Comfort, Suman says, is the primary requisite while designing lingerie. "With women getting more and more conscious about innerwear there are a lot more opportunities to experiment. Plus I am offering a lot of size options and also customise the product according to requirement."

Bedtime stories

Called Bedtime Stories, Suman has worked on five themes ranging from innocent intimate series where the emphasis is on white to very sheer and lacy sensuous series in her collection. Already selling from Delhi and Mumbai besides Kolkata, Suman, who also designs swim wear, wants more and more designer stores to put up racks for lingerie.

Rajiv Arora of Amrapali, a regular at the fashion week, also wanted a show to present his jewellery on the ramp. "I was also told there are not many of your ilk. The problem, unlike us, is that not many jewellery designers design big pieces that are visible on the ramp." Arora, who hails from Jaipur, has come up with some interesting combination of mediums like silver on wood. "People are no longer interested in just gold and silver. They look for media-used and texturing, l like frescoes are big this year. Going by the international trend I have also introduced Gothic elements in the collection." Amrapali had some interesting tie-ups with designers like Ranna Gill and Abu Sandeep. "In some cases they buy out the entire collection. In others it's just for the show."

Going by the way the week business is growing, chances of a lingerie or jewellery week are no longer beyond imagination.

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