Fashion designer Anand Kabra will present his latest collection Sleek: The New Mystique this weekend at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2011. Anand will present his interpretation of the previously-defined four hair looks (free spirited, creative, urban cool, sensuous), along with the yet-unseen fifth look— magnetic. The Hyderabad-based designer collaborated with the Lakmé Studio team to create the looks that will be showcased during the show.
Speaking Chic spoke to Anand Kabra about Mystique—the concept and the collection.
How do you relate to the concept of mystique as a designer?
Mystique is commonly associated with a woman. No matter how much you know of a woman, there is always an element of mystery with her. Interpreting the various facets of a woman was quite a challenge for me.
In your earlier collections, you had fun with colours like reds, yellows and whites. But mystique is usually associated with darker colours like greys and black. How did you combine these drastically different colour palettes?
You’re right—I love playing around with yellows and reds. While Lakmé Studio wanted an Anand Kabra chhap [stamp/ trademark] on this collection, there are strong doses of black in the collection, these colours are also there though in varying proportions. That gives a different interpretation without being too contrived and going off-theme.
How does traditional Indian wear represent mystique?
Indian costumes are yarded—so just the way they are draped or worn is very exciting. The sari palla, the drape, the pleat and the ghunghat create a mystery around the woman wearing it.
What were the challenges you faced in designing this collection?
As a designer, I was collaborating with a team from Lakmé Studio—but I didn’t want the collaboration to be unfair for either of us. My collections are usually about clothing and a manifestation of my vision. But in a partnership, one can’t overshadow the other. We needed to present a lifestyle, rather than just clothes or hair. Usually, I capture just one mood in my garments, but this time I needed to capture five moods. And the five moods couldn’t be jumpy, they needed to be seamless, and work well with each other.
How will your clothes appeal to women around the world while staying focussed on Indian women?
I design for Indian women. Ultimately, we are all talking the same language of fashion—the boundaries have merged. For me, Indian fashion is a wealth of colours and fabrics. It’s ultimately global fashion with a regional (Indian) flavour.