Kazakhstan ahoy

The name Puja Arya may not ring a bell to all, but those in the know are only too aware of the fashion designer’s progress over the years. Not only did she get a good response — despite the recession — at the recent WIFW, she also participated in the recently held Kazakhstan Fashion Week.

“We were asked to send in photos of our creations to the event’s organising body. And I was selected along with nine others to show. I guess it had a lot to do with the fact that my creations had predominantly Western silhouettes,” explains Puja.

But that’s not to say that Puja’s clothes don’t dwell on Indian sensibilities at all. “In fact, I make it a point to blend in Indian ethnicity in all my creations. For example, I use a lot of embroidery and block printing and this time around, in keeping with the recession, I chose to use cotton over silk for the most part — especially for the lining.

So the collection had mini dresses, short skirts and flared pants in colours such as burgundy, brown and bright yellow and green so as to lend the line a very Bohemian look,” points out Puja, adding that as a Jaipur based designer, she gives a lot of importance to handicrafts.

Interestingly then, the designer herself was very surprised that she had piqued the curiosity of the Japanese media. “When I showed at the WIFW, the Japanese Fashion channel Tokyo Fashion Express seemed to be very interested in my work; they felt that the clothes resonated the Japanese design philosophy.

So they did a whole show with me where they focused on my creations and my Jaipur workshop,” she notes. So where’s she headed from here? “Well, I do have a small store in Jaipur, but I am now looking at expanding my reach by having a bigger store and retailing through more outlets. Also, I am working on showing abroad more often now,” she ends.