NEW DELHI: The has styled global icons like Uma Thurman and Naomi Campbell among others and now Rina Dhaka, known for her spiderweb motifs, is all out to dress plus size men and women. The ace designer has collaborated with aLL – The Plus Size Store – to create an exclusive couture collection, Primero, which will be showcased at the plus-size fashion show at Lakme Fashion Week 2019, scheduled to be held on August 21-25. Auditions for the fashion show take place at Hotel Taj Mansingh, New Delhi today. We had a chat with the designer on the new line…
Tell us about your collaboration with aLL…
My collaboration with aLL is a big opportunity for me to showcase my work on body positivity and quality as a genre. I believe the new trends in fashion should be available to all consumers whether plus size or not! The main reason for runway shows is to showcase/ forecast the trends of the season to buyers which they wish to add to their collection and aLL at Lakme Fashion Week is doing just that! They are getting trendy fashion to an aspect of consumers that has been ignored for a long time.
It was in 2015 that you had talked about exploring fashion for “plus-size” women. Is your joining hands with aLL a step forward in that direction?
Yes, definitely. aLL caters to a large market in India that had been unexplored, and collaborating with them for the new collection is a step in the right direction.
What all criterion did you, as a designer, have to keep to design clothes for “plus-size” women, in terms of clothes, designs, cuts…? And how challenging was it to move from “zero size” to “plus size” models?
We don’t follow the size zero. We follow a sample size that’s US 4. For aLL, our standard sizes start from US 14. The difference is obviously there so we need to be careful with the silhouettes to get the cuts in the correct place that flaunts the curves of the person wearing it. The designs will be in tune with current trends as that is the goal – to bring current trends in plus size! It is to instil this belief in people that when it comes to fashion, everybody is equally important.
Are these clothes for formal occasions or for casual wear?
The collection will be essentially ready-to-wear separates and semi-formal! They can be worn in the day for special occasions and you can carry them with accessories for evenings! They will range from formal wear to lunch wear and smart casuals!
Conventionally, most collections by designers are beyond the reach of the common man. How is this one priced?
Pricing of aLL is extremely pocket-friendly, well within the reach of the common man! This collection will be priced similarly.