The Hindu Press In News

Cue on the art of couture

Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna share a passion for art and fashion. Providing practical and affordable wear in quality fabrics is what they believe in. The young designer duo spoke to RADHIKA RAJAMANI about their work, their participation at the Lakme India Fashion Week and fashion in general.

FASHION IS all about making a statement and Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna do so with glamorous yet practical clothing. "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best," said Oscar Wilde, which holds good for their collection. These young men can make people's eyes turn to their couture, which is prêt with a difference. The fusion of fabric and styles with detailing produces quality silhouettes at reasonable prices. Fresh from the Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW), the designer duo was in the city to promote their line at Elahe.

"The LIFW is a platform for designers and meeting ground for interaction with designers as well. There is exchange of ideas, and more importantly, helps us get business. The domestic market opens with tie-ups with stores besides the buyers at the LIFW. We are very keen on the domestic market though we have some international retailing as well particularly in the Middle East (Dubai and Kuwait) as the dress sense there is similar to that of India," say the duo, who got together after studies at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi.

Prêt is their forte - something that they wanted to do from the beginning. Rohit started off with a line of men's clothes H2O priced between Rs. 850 and Rs. 1,200. Then the duo launched `Cue' - another label. A woman's line (priced below Rs. 5,000) also figured subsequently. With the best of fabrics (silks, linens or denims) and subtle detailing, they are able to produce affordable lines, which are simple, functional and dapper. This is undoubtedly their USP. They retail from some of the top boutiques in the country (Ensemble, Mumbai, fFolio, Bangalore, Evoluzione, Chennai and Elahe, Hyderabad) besides stores in Delhi (at Golf Links - tel: 24611483; Ambavatta Complex, Mehrauli - tel: 26642840 and M.G. Road - tel: 26802188, 26802214). They believe in a personalised relationship with a store. After Elahe where they are introducing their permanent line they will be visiting Chennai (Evoluzione) shortly.

Inspiration comes from different sources for the duo. "We love art, architecture and furniture," says Rohit. "It could be people and even accessories like shoes. Once we were influenced by canvas shoes for a collection," says Rahul. "Once for Diwali we picked up a string of semi-precious beads and worked on a collection based on the colours of the beads. So at times we work backwards as well," they say.

It is interesting to note the duo's passion for art as well. Fashion and art may seem an uneasy `marriage' but they do it in a serious way. They run a gallery (Palette Art Gallery) in Delhi and often conduct shows, where the paintings are mounted at India Habitat Centre. "We notice art shows attract the older people. Our aim is to create awareness and promote art amongst the young and reduce the gap between the old and the young. We involve youngsters and the fashion industry in our shows; we promote art, which is serious and not just beautiful. We want to change the way people look at art," emphasise both. This is quite heartening, as normally art is considered highbrow.

The duo is saddened by the death of renowned artist Bhupen Khakkar. "Bhupen was a close friend and it was just the day before we came to Hyderabad that I spoke to him. He had been ailing for some time. Yesterday I was upset when I got a call from his house," says Rohit. "When I was in Madrid last year there was a retrospective of Bhupen's works at the Sophia Museum. He was treated like a god there," he adds also remembering the time he spent with Bhupen at his house in Vadodara with artists Ghulam Sheikh and Nilima Sheikh a few months ago.

The duo's first show was based on colour, which is intrinsic to art and fashion. They are excited about the participation of about 40 artists - top and budding names of the art fraternity in this show. "We gave them the colour forecast for the season and then made some clothes based on the paintings," they said. Another one called "Sheen of Metal" revolved around the metallic paints they used in which noted artist Thota Vaikuntam (from Hyderabad) did something different from his usual stylised signature. Now they are planning to have a show on `The Masters' with the National Gallery of Modern Art featuring works of artists like M.F. Husain, K.G. Subramaniam, J. Swaminathan, Ganesh Pyne, Akbar Padamsee, F.N. Souza, Bhupen Khakkar, Ramkumar, Jehangir Sabavala and others.

Conceptualising exhibitions and reading are part and parcel of their lives with fashion. It is rather rare to find such young designers clued in to art in such fashion. Do they follow fashion forecasts? "We do but not totally. We adapt it to the Indian market. We do our own colours. We attend international fairs. We have finished the winter line and have started working on the Summer line for 2004. We are working on a khadi line - with Khadi Gramodyog. Khadi is now international. It is wrinkle-free too these days."

Their garments are characterised by surface ornamentation (textures - they use crushing and different washing techniques) and detailing (prints, pin-tucks and embellishments). A Fabric Fair organised by the Fashion Development Council of India gave them an opportunity to meet weavers. "We processed a denim with them," they say. "The fit is important along with the line and embellishments. We use the best quality in fabrics," emphasise the duo.

Fashion is slowly becoming a buzzword. People have realised the importance of looking good. "It is important to feel good and comfortable too. One does it for oneself," they say about fashion today. "But at the same time one should not be a victim of fashion. Never force yourself to wear what you don't want to," they caution. With increasing telecasts on fashion on television, the awareness is no doubt increasing. Is there a boom? "Majorly. It is reflected in our sales."

Indian fashion is still in the nascent stage though Indian garments and embellishments are popular. "The kurti is present all over the world. So are saris and Nehru jackets," the duo says but Indian fashion is not yet developed. Government support for this industry is important. The LIFW has put India on the fashion map but it still viewed as a Third World country." "About 10 years ago I was asked by someone whether we still travel by elephants. I had to tell him we have cars. That myth has changed slowly," says a smiling Rohit.

Is there a lot of hype in LIFW? "Fashion all over the world is hype and glamour. The positive effects of LIFW are in terms of business. The drama over clothes created to impart the hype at times gives the negative image to the event. We are happy we have been written about in a positive way."

About the issue of plagiarism, the duo commented, "Copying does happen and therefore one has to constantly change." With oodles of talent, energy and determination, the designer duo is bound to forge ahead with success.