Rina Dhaka courts wash and wear by crafting a new mill fabric with a pre-crushed effect and of course, appends a benevolent dose of gold.
By Asmita Aggarwal
They say that every jolt in your life kind of chastens you it makes you want to jump on the saddle again. And thats what Rina Dhaka did, when she showcased her collection at the ICW 2017. She made sure it was fashion with a heart as well as soul, with children from the NGO Smile Foundation, walking the ramp along with her new-age crushed sharara. We gave them the same outfits as the models and also did fittings, in fact, they seemed quite confident, says Rina.
The designer in her 25-year-old journey, has been one to take risks whether it was her transparent churidaar in the early 90s or the new fabric that she developed this year—a mix of viscose, silk and polyester with a heat pressed crushing effect (earlier she was a big fan of the plisse technique) that makes the garment wash and wear. A new way of adding ease to a womans life even on the most important day when she is looking for something both light yet demonstrative.
What was also interesting was Rinas persuasion to get Ruchi Malhotra an 80s model to walk for her. I like the fact that she (Ruchi, wife of tech guru Rajiv Makhni) and Huma Qureshi, my showstoppers were not size zero. They were women, who were proud of their bodies and what it had lived through. Ruchi and I did many shows in the 80s and 90s together and in fact, it took a lot of convincing to get her, but she really did a wonderful job, she adds.
Rina also used special techniques such as using foil on chiffons that have been implemented by Narayan.
Fabrics to help her create a metallic background. Jewellery motifs have been adopted and taken inspiration from which could be seen on the shararas (she focussed on the wide leg, this time and naaths rather than gola or maang-tikka) as well as off shoulder blouses. Bling is important to a bride because it brings shine on the big day. However, it is the job of a designer to control the bling, wherein it is important to border the aesthetic and style to the body, she adds.
There were draped dhotis that were riding up in gold to match the décor emblazoned with shiny discs and floating candles, and the body suit which is a cross between a sharara and jumpsuit in a sheer interpretation. And Huma, star of Viceroy, who chose her own clothes, Rina admits represented women who are comfortable in their own skin, and refuse to conform to set societal norms.
Indian couture is a place where the designer is in charge of the creativity. She can bring true ethos rather than be a part of trends and forecasts and thats what I find truly changing in the fashion space—a desire to cut the forest and carve ones own path, she concludes.