It is not that David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore havent done bridal wear before, they have, admits the former, but only for special clients and on request. So even as the duo gear up to show Shaadi Redux, their line immersed in stunning brocades, specially woven by Ekaya, which has been working with weavers for many, many years, David says, he does get nervous when he thinks about it. I think, it is a fresh perspective to occasion wear, I wouldnt say made to order for the bride, but for events leading up to the wedding. We dont do bridal wear, so it is stressing me out a bit, it we are in uncharted waters, he confides.
The Ministry of Textiles, has collaborated with the designers for their show in an attempt to initiate a conversation about crafts. I do see a change in the fashion world, Indian designers are keener now on textiles than chiffonsI have observed extensive use of Kota, Maheshwaris and Khadi and I must say it is heartening to see this, he adds.
Few know that it was Rakesh Thakore who introduced ikkat to Issey Miyake and even designed the fabric that the Japanese designer then incorporated in his line, much before the birth of the label. We are working with brocade to his season, and the first step for us was to understand the raw material, each fabric has different qualities and drawbacks, your talent as a designer comes into play when you are able mould it just the way you want it, to construct a garment of your choice, he smiles.
Maybe thats why, seeing their immense dedication, Ekaya has woven seven meters of weft for them, in the finest Banerasi, which was David calls, a feat in itself. We are working with the shine and colour spectrum associated with bridal wear in our own way. So there are reds, deeper reds, ivory and blacks as we felt a lot of young, contemporary to-be-married couples are opting for the hue, he adds. What helped was Bharat Shah, the owner of Ekaya who has fresh ideas, was willing to take the design road less travelled and even though David was unsure his gentle encouragement went a long way.
Hoping to present a different point of view, AT & T have constructed long skirts, trousers have a certain gender play which makes the silhouette interesting and the Nehru jackets have been given, as the title suggest a redux. It would be fun, to do something we havent attempted before, it will also be a start of an internal journey for us, even though it is unknown territory, he concludes.