CHENNAI: Poonam Bhagat, a psychology graduate, found her passion in colours and chanderi. This led her to establish her brand Taika, 24 years ago. which now sells across in more than 20 designer boutiques including Kimaya, Melange, Samsaara and Aza. Poonam’s collection is on display at Collage recently.
This collection is called ‘Revisit of Samarkand’. When CE asked her why ‘revisit’ she said, “Ever since I went to the twin cities of Sankand and Bokhara in Uzbekistan in 2002, I have been hugely inspired by their tapestries, the cloth suzani, which is traditionally embroidered by the bride to be and worn as a canopy over her head on her wedding day. Then there are the registan, and the kilims, which are the carpets of central Asia. All of these textures and colours inspired me to design a collection called a ‘Slice of Samarkand’ and a ‘Bite of Bokhara’.”
Poonam has used the floral motifs and the chakras that they use but gave it her own twists. There are lot of dramatic appliqués, the colours red, white, black, indigo and a bit of gold. The apparels include anarkali in jacket style and apparels with layers. The collection was a huge success on the ramp in 2013 and was worn by actors like Sonam Kapoor, Karishma Kapoor and Neha Dhupia.
The collection has been modified with new elements, but holds the same essence of Uzbekistan. “I added more new designs, motifs and its placements, new silhouettes. There are a few from the old collection, but they have also been layered. They have all been embroidered and appliquéd. It is a new, rich collection, all of chanderi that includes palazzos, crinkled skirts and shararas.” she said.
Revisit of Samarkand collection, priced between Rs 16,000 and Rs 22,000, is available at Collage, 153 Greams Road. For more details contact 044-28291443.