CHENNAI: Chennai, known for its strong cultural values and rich tradition, has attracted many expatriates across the globe. The month of January is an interesting one for LV Prasad, one of the city’s reputed film academies.
Students from different parts of the country come in for an exchange programme, wherein they make a documentary film on active contributors to art and culture here.
This time the chosen one is none other than fashion designer Sidney Sladen. Two students from Brooklyn College - Diana Pena-Bastalla (anthropology) and Mallery (journalism) are working on a documentary on the fashion designer, along with five other students from the LV Prasad Film and Television Academy - Mayank, Amarnath, Arunima, Raghav, Suraj and Ankit.
A young Spanish girl from New York, Diana, who is the director of the documentary is all excited.
She’s even planning a visit to Madurai for Pongal. “I love this city. But fashion in Chennai is conservative. All women I came across were in sarees. But I love the colours here — vibrant and attractive,” she smiles. Diana is all praise for Sidney Sladen, for his impeccable work.
On a personal note, she describes him as a friendly, humble man with a positive attitude. The documentary will include moments from Sidney’s personal and professional life and his plans for the future. There are many reasons why they zeroed-in on Sidney for this project. “He is one designer whose designs are sold in Australia, and he has a market in other countries too. Sidney doesn’t compete with Chennai designers alone, but also with international ones. His designs are not commercialised, they are unique, they are exclusive and they have a traditional touch to them.”
Equipped only with inputs from a few internet links about Sidney, these students flew down to document him. “We read some articles on the internet, but Sidney turned out to be a completely different man in person,” says Mallery. They were surprised to know that the designer had no inspirations to talk of. Born in Africa with a fashion degree from Milan, Sidney who now lives in Chennai hardly takes any multicultural influences from the places he’s been to. Instead, designing to him is a stress-buster.
"Sidney Sladen understands Chennai fashion as one that’s rooted, yet stylish. He produces world class designs and is now pulling out his latest bridal wear collection, which will be showcased in Australia soon,” says Diana.
The required information was gathered over a four-hour conversation between the students and the fashion designer. They will next be meeting actress Trisha, a good friend of Sidney.
Mayank handles the camera and Amarnath handles the sound for the film, which will be produced by Raghav. The crew also includes Mallery, the scriptwriter, Arunima, the editor, Suraj, the assistant camera person and Ankit who will mix the sound. The film will be screened on January 22 at the LV Prasad Film and Television Academy.
Sidney-speak
Apart from designing for films and cocktail dresses for celebrites, Sidney also aids in the education of three Indian students. With his friend Lalsa, Sidney shares his experience filming the documentary. “It was fun to work with students. The interview too wasn’t like the usual one. They were clear with their questions and were quite professional. I feel honoured to be chosen for this.