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Oriental inspirations from Narendra Kumar

Ace designer Narendra Kumar showcased his collection on Day 5 of Kolkata Fashion Week (KFW) II.

The fashion guru in conversation with India Blooms correspondent Sreya Basu.

How would you describe your collection?
This is a little hatke Narendra Kumar line where I have tried to tell a Japanese story. The drapes (in both men's and women's wear), pleats -- all give an oriental feel. Even the geometric cuttings in women's wear were heavily influenced by Japanese society. I didn't use any heavy embroidery; modernity is the key word for all my collections.

Dark designs

But Japanese society is very colourful unlike your dark palette.
There are two sides of the Japanese culture -- the Yakuza or the Mafia world, that's a dark world; and another is the bubblegum society full of pop colours. For this collection I stuck to a dark palette, a more mature line. The colour palette ranges from beige to rust to back and sheen.

Oriental inspirations

There is a story in the colour palette as well. I made sure that the story floats from one garment to another. The entire collection of 30 garments must look like one big story. This is a smarter Spring collection inspired by the Japanese
culture.

Forsaken favourites

But your favourite colour is missing from your collection this time...
Yes. There is no yellow (my favourite colour) in this collection. I was thinking what will happen when people won't see yellow in my collection this time. But yellow was not going with the dark theme.

Signs of the future

So now we will see more black in your collections?
Not really. India is not a black society like Europe.

Youthful yen

Could you elaborate on that.
Black is a non-colour and European society is a black-based society. But India is more colourful and being an Indian, I will try to play with all youthful colours, at the same time, do a dark palette at times.

Taking fashion to the youth

What's going to be your next collection?
I am going to show the lighter side of the Japanese society -- the bubblegum one, in my next collection to be launched at Westside in Mumbai by the end of this September. The collection is called 'Nari Nari' and we will audition college girls to walk the ramp instead of professional models.

Taking it easy

And what's after that?
I am too tired and will retire for six months.

Closing on a high note

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh closed out the show in a dapper black and gold creation. When asked if he would be keeping the sherwani he said: "No... I am going to steal it (laughing). Narendra has no choice!"