The hugely talented Rina Singh of Eka maintains equanimity by courting stripes, monochromes and using immersive mirrors as a metaphor of life!

By Asmita Aggarwal

She would indulge in a bit of colour play, experiment with thickness and thinness of fabrics, flirt with textures, have an affair with stripes, rather than make a cinched waist, expose a midriff or add an obi belt on a sari to get attention. And what makes Rina Singh of Eka, a frontrunner in fashion today—-her unwillingness to conform.

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“I don’t do trend-based clothes and will buy what I feel comfortable in. Like most women I don’t want to be plagued by the question, ‘what will I wear today?’ looming large on my head when I open my closet in the morning,” she smiles.

She discovered the answer long ago—wearing the same silhouette differently each day makes it fun, as the women that she attempts to dress love the honest blacks and whites, which reek with sincerity or the wool that she uses, which is not dyed, but kept just the way it came, sturdy and powerful.

“Black and white is the most sincere rendition of the yarn that’s why I love it so much. Also I like to keep it simple. For example, if there is too much food on the plate the flavours get mixed, similarly if there are too many patterns and textures in a line, it becomes confusing,” she smiles.

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Despite her own wardrobe consisting of mostly monochromes, navy, olives and indigo, she did do a bit of colour for her SS’16 line, and for autumn-winter 2016, she is inspired by geometrics and Berlin-based artist Jeppe Hein.

Hein, a believer in conceptual art, is known for his ideational use of mirrors in a way that each mirror reflects the other one creating a visually stunning imagery and synergy.

A student of the Royal Danish Academy of Arts, Copenhagen, Jeppe’s artworks left a deep impact on Rina, who has used his impactful art as a way to look within. “Art inspires me, and that’s why you will see I have done a little more opulence than I usually do. I still have my stripes, dots and checks, but they are executed in a way that they neither look 3D nor embellished, just pure. I have also done heavy weight wool and jacquards, without foraying into strong lines or severely structured silhouettes. The feel is still easy, which is my signature,” she concludes.

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Click here to watch Eka by #RinaSingh at #AIFWAW16