HYDERABAD: What happens when passion and an idea to revive a historic tale come together? An amalgam of elegance and captivating beauty is born. Intrigued by the epic and dramatic love story of Prithviraj Chauhan, king of Delhi and his wife Samyukta, a strong headed queen, textile designer Gaurang Shah has decided to make Samyukta his latest muse.
The city-based designer has come up with a collection of 44 breathtaking designs consisting of men’s and women’s wear that will be showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week this month.
Gaurang who swears by handloom has ensured that textiles from all parts of the country are a part of his large collection. The designer blended his love for handloom with the colour red, symbolising the strength and beauty of queen Samyukta.
“There was no better way to show the strength and beauty of the queen other than using the traditional colour – red. I would usually use a family of colours to make my collection. But the thought of doing something different made me use a single colour for the first time,” explains Gaurang, adding, “I have used fabrics like khadi, silk, kota and tassar. For the first time I have experimented with paithani. I have brought out organza and khadi variety in it.” He also aimed at reviving the old embroidery patterns – Kutch, cross stitch, kasoti, jardosi are a few of them.
The designer shares, with a lot of excitement, that the audience will be glued to their seats as they watch the drama that will unfold on the stage during his show.
“The show will begin with four minutes of live kathak dance. It will also have live musicians who will complement the collection. The eight sufi kawals will sing without any instruments. Even the dancer will dance to the music of sufi kawals,” he reveals.
The show this season will also be the designer’s maiden solo show. “Though it was pressurising, I enjoyed the entire journey of conceptualising and bringing the collection alive which took about eight months.”