There’s a lot of similarity when it comes to designers from Chennai and Mumbai. While the designers themselves are known to be edgy, they also have a very Indian side to them, partially because of the cities that they’re based in and also because of the very strong ties between the film and fashion worlds in the cities. Designer Chaitanya Rao in Chennai falls in one such category.
The designer’s a favourite in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. He’s an equally popular face at the fashion weeks in the country. Chaitanya’s now gearing up for his latest collection, which will be an improvisation from the collection he showcased at this year’s Lakmé Fashion Week.
“After working on the garments for the Swarovski Elements show, I’m now getting into desi mode. I’m going to be taking the similar colour palette that I did for the fashion week. It will be predominantly in black, complimented with bright colours like orange, pink and green. I’d be using silks and natural fibres. Again, like my previous collection this year, this will be inspired from the tribal look,” says Chaitanya.
This will be the designer’s first completely Indian collection. “While I have had Indian designs as part of a bigger collection, this will be the first time that I will be doing a completely Indian ensemble. These will include everything, including saris,” reveals Chaitanya, who is looking at getting his collection up and running by this festive season.
He will retain his signature style though in this collection. “While this will be an India-inspired collection, I will be sticking to the western silhouettes for my designs. They will not be boring and instead will have an edgy touch,” says Chaitanya.
Quiz him if the fact that he’s from a traditional city like Chennai has anything to do with his going completely Indian for this season, and he replies instantly, “It does to a great extent. While Chennai has a newer bunch that’s turned experimental in terms of the designs that they go in for, a large chunk of the clientele still tries to play it safe. While people are getting bolder in terms of design, the kind of clothes that I display on the ramps in Mumbai is a completely different story.”
Chaitanya quickly adds, “It is hard for one to sell couture in India and not do Indian designs and cuts.” While couture and clothes for the ramp is one side to Chaitanya, he manages to balance the crazy demands of the film industry with equal ease. “Designing for films is a completely different ball game. The most unpredictable thing about films is the deadlines. They want stuff overnight and you’re designing for someone else’s vision. But, it is a fun process,” he admits.
The designer says that his favourite parts are the songs. “You get to comply with the demands of the director, cinematographer and actors throughout the scenes. But during the songs, we do get a chance to experiment with different designs, fabrics and looks,” says Chaitanya.
He is currently working on three films, designing for actors including Trisha Krishnan, Shruti Haasan, Sameera Reddy, Vishaal Krishna and Dhanush.
“One of the films I’m working on is the Telugu version of Bodyguard. There’s Aishwarya Dhanush’s directorial debut 3. This film begins in a traditional manner, but the characters in it are very contemporary,” he says.
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