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December 4, 1997 |
It's finally happening
India is making its
mark on the international fashion scene. As a small group of Indian
designers make their presence felt in the west by selling in prestigious stores. They may not make headlines in the western press as yet, but they do have their own set of loyal buyers.
She has pioneered the revival of ethnic textile prints
and is one of the country most respected designers. Ritu has created
an international name for herself by selling at well known stores
like Gallerie Lafeyette in Paris and in the Far East for several
years now. She has dressed many Indian beauty queens including
Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Manpreet Brar, Sandhya Chib, Nafisa
Joseph and, more recently, Miss World 1997 Diana Hayden.
Her exclusive store in London, Ritu's, was a favourite
haunt of the late Princess Diana who shopped there with good friend
Jemima Khan. Ritu, in her own little way, has managed introduce
the salwar kameez as an alternative fashion garment to the western
woman.
Ritu Beri
A recent poll in a national magazine voted Ritu Beri
the best-known designer in India. Not only has Ritu has won several
awards, she has also regularly displayed her creations in China,
the US and Germany. Little wonder, then, that her creations are
much in demand abroad. Ritu's creations are available in Liberty
on Regent Street and Rehana's collection in Green Street in the
UK. In the US, she retails at Silk Heritage, New Jersey.
Gitanjali Kashyap
When Bijenkof held an Indian festival in the Netherlands
some years ago it was Gitanjali's line that they found most suitable.
Little wonder, then, that they turned to her when they decided
to stock Indian labels. She also has a good buyer in Gallerie
Lafayette in Paris, which has bought a whole collection of her
creations for the coming season.
Gitanjali has also moved into Singapore, where she
showed her line at the Fashion Connection '97.
Bela Parekh
A popular ethnic wear designer, Bela has made a mark
for herself in Bombay and Madras. She works with Maheswari fabrics,
silks, handlooms and south cottons, using vegetable dyes for prints
and embellishing her designs with delicate embroidery.
She started exporting some simple Indo-West combinations
to a Swedish boutique called Indigo in Malmo. Her collections
have been a sell-out there each season and the Swedish press front-paged
her on her latest visit.
Her label will be available at the Art and Handicraft
store in Netherlands. Post the Collection Premier Dusseldorf fair
which was held in Germany this year, Bela's line will also be
available in Stuttgart at the Balusi Bela Moda store.
Xerxes Bhathena
He has been retailing for many years at the Shaukeen
boutique in San Francisco, US. His ethnic collection is available
at Bijou collections and La Khas, London. While, in South Africa,
Xerxes Bhathena has proved to be a popular label at Ruby Collections,
Johannesburg.
Suneet Varma
He has always been at the centre of the fashion action.
After graduating from American College of Fashion, London, he
worked with French Connection and Nicole Farni. Suneet then returned
to India, set up a store in Bombay and an exclusive outlet in
Delhi before creating a programme on fashion for television.
Suneet's periodic visits to the west have got him
into the retailing business in Europe and the US. His label is
available at Bergdoff Goodman, Henri Bendel, the Gallerie
Leena Tipnis
Leena has made quite an impact on the Indian fashion
scene with her successful amalgamation of ethnic and fusion wear.
Her label, Linarika, also sells in the Far East and UK. After
her designs were displayed at the Collection Premier Dusseldorf
fair, Atelier 33 (a German company) has signed on her creations
for the coming spring and summer.
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Meher Castelino
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