Passion, novelty, elegance and Indianness: Asmita Marwa has it all. More interestingly, this Hyderabadi designer is as happy and comfortable working to revive the old art of Kalamkari as when designing costumes for new-fangled films.
Marwa started her designing career in 1990, but her celluloid journey is more recent. “When I began designing over two decades back, no one imagined the use of designers in films. But the Tollywood stars have become very style-conscious and are willing to experiment with their looks now,” she says.
Which is where Marwa comes in. “I was one of the first designers to be asked to design for Tollywood. But one has to be committed and give a lot of time. There have, thus, been times when I have designed clothes just for a section of a film.” Whatever the length of the assignment, all her creations have had significant impact. Indeed, the outfits designed by Marwa for films like Santosham and Manmathadu are considered pathbreaking. The designer’s actor clients include Nagarjuna, Balakrishna, Anjala Zaveri, Shriya Saran, Mahesh Babu, Tabu, Asin, Charmy and Anushka.
But whatever else she does, Kalamkari remains Marwa’s first love. “Earlier, this traditional Andhra craft was perceived as boring and Kalamkari fabrics were used largely for bed sheets or pillow cases. At best, they were used for sarees in boring colours and designs. I set out to change that; to transform Kalamkari into a stylish fabric by introducing new shades to the palette. I added more green and blue to the regular reds and mustards, and created outfits with western silhouettes, like quilted jackets, churi pants, trapeze dresses and long flowing kurtas. Of course, I also did traditional sarees, lehengas and kurta but for them, I put tones of red, mustard, yellow, olive and earth hues together with black, beige and ivory checks and smoking rose prints.”
With happy results. “I am so happy with the way my creations were appreciated. Even after such a long time, I still get orders from Mumbai, Delhi and even Paris for my Kalamkari creations.”
Marwa’s ensembles are inevitably simple; in fact, it’s their very simplicity that makes a strong statement. There are a lot of opposites at play here: the overall look is contemporary even though each outfit has lots of Indian elements. “I make a lot of sharara pants which are Indian but with a boho feel. I also design lots of dresses, long skirts, pants and jumpsuits. For these, I recycle fabrics and do embroidery and touch work on all the extra fabric in my workshop,” says the designer.
The ensembles, which are retailed at xlnc and Marwa’s signature store Reves d’Etoile in Hyderabad and AZA in Mumbai and Delhi, combine avant-garde artistry with traditional workmanship, and carefully selected linens, voiles and jersey with silks and natural-dyed fabrics. But Marwa’s love for cotton remains unprecedented. “I just love cotton and it is probably one of the few fabrics with which I love experimenting; and there is still so much more to be explored,” she believes.
The exploration is not confined to just cotton. Metamorphosis was the collection Marwa unveiled in Hyderabad last year at the Blenders Pride show. It showcased the evolution of fashion from the “flower children of the 1970s to the electrifying glamour of the 1980s through to the 1990s’ retro chic brigade.” Though it was pretty retro, with sequins and bling, the clothes were not over-the-top. “I did something that wasn’t typical Asmita Marwa clothes, but they had my style,” explains the designer.
A regular at Fashion Weeks, Marwa’s creations are a blend of the traditional and contemporary with an unmistakable eclectic spirit. While she prefers solid colours, she experiments quite a bit with other elements. Like mixing prints with checks to make a style statement, but not scream clutter. The Metamorphosis line, for instance, included lace and transparent shirts, with contrasting bras underneath. “The outfits picked elements from here and there, but eventually, they all reflected my own take on design and sensibilities,” explains Asmita.
“Fashion is totally personal for me,” says Marwa, “and my clothes have to reflect that. I would never design what I wouldn’t wear.”
But what do you do if the designer has enough chutzpah to create and carry off the zaniest of outfits? Pulling on tribal, gypsy influences, Marwa’s collection at India’s first-ever Resort Fashion Week in Goa last December saw saris in tie-n-dye prints and sequinned checks and knotted little cholis and studded bikini tops. The models wore maang-tikas and bangles halfway up to their elbows, and the designer took her bow in very short denim shorts and a white top. Viewers called the collection “boho and chi-chi at the same time,” much like the Hyderabadi lady herself.
Any advice for wannabe fashionistas? “The worst crime is to be a fashion victim. Be critical of what you wear. Fashion is all about carrying yourself,” are Marwa’s words of wisdom.