Ritu Beri is ready to add spice with an ode to Punjab and its vivacious culture.
Punjabi Rock n Roll is Ritu Beris homage to the colourful state, its people and design wise a play with volume. The last few years my schedule has clashed with the dates of the Couture Week. This year is a culmination of a promise I made to the FDCI and I am very excited to present my collection. So, for me personally, it is an exciting time to be back after a hiatus, says Ritu.
Being one of the first Indian names to foray Paris, and sharing an 18-year-long fruitful and creatively satisfying relationship with her mentor and embroidery guru Francois Lesage, Ritu says, taking risks early on in her career, worked in her favour. Lesage was special; he taught me everything I should know about embroidery, and why the French are so good at what they do. Paris is the city of high fashion, so for me haute couture is about my individual thoughts, raw and energized, she admits. Ritu was among the few, who was admired by Mounir Moufarrige, the former Chairman of the France Luxury Group (FLG) for her tailoring prowess. She also headed the French label Scherrer, another feather in her burgeoning cap. I am an army kid so we are taught survival tactics quite young, as we move so often, she laughs, adding, but I must admit good taste comes from family and both my parents are just so elegant.
There is more to the designer than just beautiful clothes as Ritu also actively works for a charity for children, The Blessed Hearts Foundation that helps children from an impoverished background. I am a designer, but also a human being. We must learn to give, share and think about others, she smiles.
There are different interpretations of couture for designers, but Ritu is clear that in the Indian context it is all about reflecting Indian culture in a contemporary, fast-paced world which wants a balance between the two diverse hemispheres.
A lover of YSL and his design philosophy, Ritu says that she often quotes him, I have always believed that fashion was not only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence. So for her style means less about snobbery and more about the quiet elegance, which is always omnipresent.