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Fashion first

His designs are simple, but the detailing intricate. Meet Vivek Karunakaran, who made his debut at the LIFW

CLEAN SILHOUETTES One of Vivek's creations

College or the Lakme India Fashion Week? No contest. A few months ago, young Chennai-based fashion designer Vivek Karunakaran was agonising over whether to head to the U.K. to do an MA Fashion Design, or start his own label.

"I was at the British Council applying for admission, and I picked up a magazine," he says. It had a story on designer Helmut Lang. "And it said he started his career selling second hand clothes! I get gooseflesh even thinking about it," says Vivek.

"I realised I needed to open my eyes and look further," he adds intently. So he decided to quit playing safe. In the space of a few months, Vivek launched ViiA, began his first collection and jumped right into the Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW). "I did a show for Gatsby, and the people from IMG (which manages LIFW as well as the Chennai Open) were there and liked what they saw." They asked him to design a line for a photo shoot.

"I had just two tailors, and we worked on the garments practically 24/7. Non-stop. But still, they were ready only half an hour after the shoot," he says. "Nothing could be used. I was so disheartened." Not for too long, though. "You need to move on," he says, "and it was a good learning experience for my tailors. I told them, if we had worked for just two more hours, we would have made it."

A surprise invitation

At that point, one of the IMG representatives suggested he apply for fashion week. "I sent my application, and then started work on ViiA's summer line," he says. When the letter of invitation arrived "first, I almost fell off my chair. Then, I started panicking."

The designer

Vivek participated in a category called `Gen Next' newly created to showcase emerging talent.

I've been selling what I make from the little room in my home, and even my car! People come in and order 20 shirts for their wardrobes." Taking on fashion week at this stage needed guts. "I turned my home into a workshop," he says, "It was crazy."The autumn collection he created for Fashion Week was European, from the colour to the cut. "I followed the international trend for this season, black, berry and shades of grey," he says, adding, "It's a prêt line with overtones of couture."

The strength of his garments is their clean silhouettes, which reveal complicated styling and intricate workmanship on closer inspection. Textured tweeds and laces, for instance, are worked with silk. And then embellished with ruffles, flounces, antique buckles, pegged hems and pleats.

Shuffling through piles of drawings, peppered with swatches of material and covered with neat notes and reminders, Vivek says he has also designed shoes and handbags to complement the outfits. "The designs may be simple, but the workmanship in the garment is what makes it special. The finish is my strength," he says. It evidently always has been. He won the award for "Best Constructed Collection" at NIFT when he graduated.

Yet, in spite of his meticulous style of working and his jeans-and-sneakers getup, he insists his driving force is a penchant for high drama. Hence, his "creative outbursts of theatre." Titled `Dark Romance,' the LIFW line is dark, Gothic and Victorian. A sort of Count Dracula meets Jane Austen affair: halter necks with a leather cord tie-up, bubble silhouette skirts, brooches and leggings.

SHONALI MUTHALALY

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