Ragini Ahuja, a first timer at the Amazon Fashion Week SS16, narrates a tale of easy-breezy clothing with a touch of edginess with leather which meets Chanderi, in a line that sets women free of shape and embroidery.
By Asmita Aggarwal
After studying knitwear design from NIFT (Delhi) in 2012, Ragini Ahuja, would have chosen cooking or architecture as a profession, if it hadnt been for her father, who was into garment export and her talented mom, who knew how to put things together, beautifully. The Abraham and Thakore admirer, simplicity was foremost on her mind, when she approached design, thats why her three-year-old label, Ikai, (a Hindi word which means love, which has a Japanese ring to it, as Ai means love) is soaked in the attraction for easy, honest clothing with a focus on oversized and androgyny. I think the name fits, as I use Shibori and appliqué, two techniques, which are juxtaposed with modern silhouettes, she smiles.
Honing her skills at NIFT, Ragini admits that the learning was more observing the myriad interpretations to a particular concept that taught her how to apply experience to creative design. In a way our emotional upbringing affects our design and for me each season is an exploration, where the constant remains, one size fits all philosophy, she adds, counting the crazy ones such as Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang as her favourites along with Moschino.
The edginess in the line comes from the indulgent use of leather, which is often combined with the Chanderi, two ends of a spectrum meet on a garment, with the former adding sheerness and fluidity and the latter, inimitable fortitude. Chanderi may seem soft and supple, but it actually holds leather, efortlessly, confesses Ragini.
So her kurtas will often have leather patches, or a drop shoulder, with no shape at the waists, something that she grew up loving and wearing. I never wore fitted clothes, it might have been cinched at the chest, but the waist was always carefree. Though I have understood over time, that many people dont get this. They want a shaped ensemble, something that is more defining. But I wanted to move away from the set parameters of fashion and what it dictates, she grins.
Low on embroidery and high on pure fabrics like cotton, silk, satin, Ikai value adds with ingenuity. Ragini reasons, A 50-year-old woman may not wear a biker jacket, but she may like an artwork in leather. Thats why my SS 16 line narrates the story of a girl, who moves from the hectic city life to the countryside, she is the eternal wanderer. It is a romantic and geometric line, but the florals are not curvy and cute, rather bold and dripping with prowess, she admits.
What is endearing is the appliqué in denim, combining it with lace to create trucker jackets, trench coats, shirt dresses and biker jackets to no-fuss kurtas. The inspiration, this season, is Chintz, which has been turned on its head, by incorporating suede. But beneath this no shape policy, there is a wish to take the label global, and participate in Paris fairs.
You know I never wanted to be a fashion designer, it would have been interesting to be a food critic, as I love food, understand it and experiment with it. Architecture is my second passion, even though I may not shape my clothing, but innovative forms and ingenious structures greatly interest me, she concludes.
Read more from Day 4 #AIFWSS16 on the Amazon.in Blog