It may be intimidating for some to dress an unconventional beauty like bootylicious Beyonce, who is not your usual skinny girl, but has curves and enjoys them too. So for Dutch style maverick Jan Taminiau, an Academy of Art, Arnhem graduate, this was just the challenge he was looking for.
A task he enjoyed, as it involved shapes. Couture is all about structure and construction, so with Beyonce I could build a shape according to her body proportions, she is well endowed and has an enviable posterior, things you wont find on your usual model, says Jan, who is in India to participate in the WIFW SS-2013. Teaming up with none other than the talented Suneet Varma, Jan admits the heady collaboration that blends the East with the West has resulted in magic. I was moved by Suneets humility and understanding of embroideries. He loves everything to do with heritage and classicism but has managed to give it a contemporary twist, he smiles.
Having worked with François Lesage, creative genius behind the famed Paris-based embroidery atelier, Jan is quick to confess that it was the archive room, a treasure trove of designs as old as 100 years that left a lasting impression on him. As a child I used to see photos of embroidery patterns, read articles on him, books about his work, so for me it was a dream come true and an honour to work with him, he adds.
Soft spoken Jan mesmerizes you with his twinkling eyes and when you talk about his achievements is quick to change the topic. Jan has quite an impressive resume, as he has been trained under Olivier Theyskens and Yves Saint Laurent. And it was his mastery over cut and finish that floored songstress Lady Gaga, who flaunted his piece in her song You and I. What is fascinating about Lady Gaga is that she is doing what she likes, irrespective of what others think or say. She embraces fashion as a whole and dares to wear showpices that are restricted just to the catwalk for drama. If I had to put it in one line, she dresses to express, she adds.
Interestingly, Jan expresses his disbelief when asked if haute couture is slowly dying in the West, and reasons that if that was the case, his company would have shut down years ago and he would not have clients flying in from all over the world to Holland to get custom-made ensembles. It is a misnomer, couture is here to stay for a long time to come, he says.
Hoping to create a splash with Suneet, Jan says that the most challenging part about being and working in India is finding a balance. It is like you are in a candy shop, you have all these stunning embroideries and you long to use all of them somewhere, you almost get lost in the colour and variety. But you need discipline to understand that too much of a good thing, much like candy, can be harmful, he concludes.