Offbeat materials has been Rimzim Dadu’s calling, even though she has mastered steel, this ICW, she tells us how she got manipulated by mother-of-pearl.
By Asmita Aggarwal
If you look at Rimzim Dadu’s DP on What’s App, it shows her pre-covid, pre two daughters, gallivanting in Ireland, Burren National Park, “the glaciokarst landscape fascinated me, but now I have no bandwidth to travel” says Dadu.
When she began 16 years ago, the idea was to offer wearable pret, not chiffon, georgette, satin, all the things you would associate glamour with. She turned everything on its head-using industrial materials-metal, paper, acrylic, leather, silicon, wool, cording, twisting, shredding, hammering to make them supplicant, mould to her unconventional wishes. Think woven metal saris, silicon Jamdani, steel Patola, paying homage to crafts, in unique ways—whether it was the Lambani tribes of Gujarat or her experiments with mother-of-pearl this ICW 2026.
Six years ago, she launched couture, labour intensive, channelling the ideology that technicality is couture, not the price of it. Take for example the leaf motif that has been crafted in metallic cords, hand cut and then sewn on lehengas. She confirms shapes are lighter now, even now despite working with offbeat materials she can never tell how each one will behave-slave or master. “I liked how real mother-of-pearl reflects light, I wanted to explore its potential, challenge myself again, start anew. I didn’t know how to sow it, break it into smaller pieces, buff it to give it shape by hand, each piece. There was no rule book, each collection for me is more about R & D,” she says.
Most wonder how to preserve such delicate pieces, the only key is to keep away from moisture and light, she promises each customer, even if one wire goes astray, she will fix it, clean the hand made ensemble on request, to preserve its longevity. “For me it must remain in your wardrobe, as money is invested, from a design perspective I’m not following any trends, so these are one-of-a-kind,” she adds.
She never looks at Indian craft as “sacred” rather approachable, it must turn into a conversation starter. Subconsciously she loves how one community has kept the flame of Patola alive. “Whatever I see I absorb like a sponge, like my exposure to mother-of-pearl jewellery, especially how the Nizams wore it with grandeur stayed with me. In Mughal architecture how inlay in marble is done, that technique became my ignition point,” she explains.
The mother-of-pearl is made to look like Kundan, jadau, interesting to see in couture. “Thickness, weight, shells are varying how to sort them, as they are natural, has been a learning, with semi-precious stones,” she confirms. Small grids made, created patterns elongated to miniature to give a 3 D feel to placements! “I want my clothes to be clean and minimal, I don’t make exaggerated shapes for runway appeal,” she smiles, adding, “The funny thing about dressing men is they look for approval from their partners, while women know what they want.”
Paris Fashion Week is on the cards, but the logistics have been a nightmare, even thinking about it stresses her out, “maybe one day, who doesn’t want to go there?” Will her signature metal weaving, steel cords make a splash this year too? “It’s something I can never give up, like I really admire how Anamika Khanna does her drapes, effortlessly,” she admits.
Brides are not driven by brand names, for them craftsmanship matters, social media she believes helps get the story out, “let me tell you something which will give you perspective of the changing landscape of bridal wear. In 2016, when I launched the metallic sari, a bride-to-be said to me ‘I like it, but I will have to check with my mom-in-law if I can wear it to my reception.’ It was an alien looking garment, now brides are not seeking validation, they have done their research, know what they want,” she admits.
Her fav-the fringe lehenga she made with metallic cords, in 2020, still her bestselling piece. “I don’t think I have mastered the art of materiality, but yes steel understands me and I can manipulate it,” she concludes with a grin.