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In spirit! A model in the Rajesh Pratap Singh outfit

Tie-ups between designers and brands - from cell-phones to Swarovski crystals - are hardly a novel idea anymore. But wellknown designer Rajesh Pratap Singh has gone in for an absolutely different association with Absolut vodka. With the vodka bottle as the inspiration, the designer created two outfits that were showcased in New Delhi recently.

The Absolut brand has over the past two decades been associated with renowned artists, photographers and designers the world over. The brand broke new ground in India with Pratap. The Absolut design is made in one copy only, irrespective of whether it is couture or street fashion.

"There is a history to the brand," says the usually reticent Pratap about his decision to associate with the brand. The man known for his perfect cuts and immaculate lines among fashion observers was impressed by the look of the bottle.

"The Absolut bottle has a very minimal look. It has clear, clean lines. It is translucent and also has a very interesting shape," says Pratap. But the man who has steered away from going gung-ho about fashion and lifestyle, explains the reasons behind his Absolut partnership.

"In the past, the brand has been associated with artists, photographers and people from advertising. It has a very strong history," he says. "Fashion is part of lifestyle anyway," he adds. For Pratap, the lure is not the lifestyle aspect, but prospects for "design and engineering."

"What interests me is the designing part of it, be it designing an automobile or a building," he reasons. With the vodka bottle as his starting point, Pratap created two exquisite pieces - one for women and the other, an attire for men.

Pratap designed a ballooning dress in white with a generous sprinkling of sprightly blue flowers and bottle shapes on it. The dress distinctly resembled the neck and the beginnings of the body of the vodka bottle. To complement the dress is the headgear, again decked with bottles.

"The woman's dress is large and is about 30 feet in diameter. It has been engineered to light electrically," says Pratap. "The men's wear is completely in leather. The engineering is that of a gliding suit. It has been ergonomically worked out keeping the graphics of the bottle in mind," he adds.

For the designer, the assignment seems to have been a respite from the pressures of commercial designing. "Here, we need not be worried about the commercial part," Pratap says.

But the designer has a hectic schedule beginning early next year. He will showcase men's wear at the Paris show in January, the women's wear at February- end, participate in the Paris opera fashion in March and the India Fashion Week at March-end.

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