Going the Indian way

When the list of designers showcasing at the BFW was out, one of them who definitely got us excited was Narendra Kumar aka Nari.

Last year, he wowed the audience with his collection — which was just so Nari; doing complete justice by sticking to his own unique style. So, we were curious to know what he has in store for this edition of BPBFW.

After several attempts, we finally got through Nari on Thursday, who has been running helter-skelter preparing for four shows, back-to-back. “We are the brand ambassadors of the Swiss International Airlines and tonight, we have a big launch of a Swiss calendar that we have created for them. After that, we obviously are presenting at BPBFW VII and then, we’ll be flying to Pune on Sunday and finally, back to Mumbai for another show on August 1,” says Nari, quite literally, losing breath.

And what’s keeping him on his toes is the fact that at every show, he is presenting a different collection. “We have been coming up with the Swiss calendar for quite some time now and every year it’s very modern, but this time we’ve gone the desi way. At Bangalore I’ll be presenting a very contemporary line, while in Pune, it’s a line of tuxedos. And finally, in Mumbai I’m showcasing work-wear, created for women,” he adds.

The line that will be presented tonight has been created exclusively for the BPBFW and Nari says he is really looking forward to it. “It’s a launch-pad collection, which is a very contemporary take on Indian wear. We haven’t given it any name.

But, I’m sure this will be the first time such an Indian line will be presented on the ramp,” says Nari adding, “The men’s collection is sort of a geometric invasion with a touch of brocade. And this time we have gone ethnic even with our women’s line. This is very new for us because we have only done western silhouettes for women in the past. Though the collection is contemporary, it brings elements of tailoring with very different fits and shapes. We have blended Indian fabric with contemporary yet classic looks.”

And with this collection, Nari’s label will be entering a new market, he says. “This collection shows that we are ready to do an Indian line and step into that market. And since we have never done this before, we had to bring a new feel into this line. A fresh appearance that involves both tailoring and good fit. Usually, Indian wear is considered to be heavily embroidered, but my collection is very modern, especially when it comes to pattern, cuts and fits. The necklines and collars for jackets are very different. I have introduced new shapes for jackets and kurtas.

Most people doing Indian, focus on the sherwani. We work instead on the fundamentals of men’s wear — length of the jacket and contemporising style. And we can make these fundamental changes because we look into the garment and not just the outside of it,” explains Nari, whose colour palette too seems interesting. “It’s influenced by ‘dark romance.’ Though I have used cream and beige, priority is on deep maroons and reds. The colours are reminiscent of the renaissance art period,” he adds.

Finally, something that everyone looks forward to — the showstopper! Nari launched his Swiss calendar this year with Lisa Hayden and last year it was Zarine Khan — this year however, Nari tells us, “I believe it is going to be our clothes. Well, I have not decided on a showstopper yet, so maybe, I will just walk down with a dummy,” he laughs  and concludes.