Twenty-five years and still going strong. Celebrating his silver jubilee in the fashion industry, designer Suneet Varma recently launched his Spring Couture 2012 collection ‘The Eternal Lightness of Being — to Love, to Hold, to Kiss’, along with iconic photo exhibit, ‘Grit & Grace’, displaying some of the best shots from his collections over the years at DLF Emporio Mall in the city.
Having been in the industry for 25 years, and worked in many genres of design, from couture to ready-to-wear clothing to hotel interiors and even the acclaimed Judith Leiber bags, the designer believes in constantly upgrading himself to suit the changing times. “I believe it is the right time to create a new look in Indian fashion. With the new possibilities of presentation inspired by technology, I look forward to the future and celebrating the next 25 years,” he adds.
In the photo exhibition, the designer presented his extensive body of work over 25 years through iconic imagery created on some of the best models by photographers of the time. Sharing some of his fondest memories, Suneet says, “I’ve always enjoyed creating imagery, as I feel a picture is worth a thousand words. Every picture was a narrative in itself, a frame of moment captured. Sometimes when you visit old photographs of collections, it tells a new story, sometimes nostalgic, but always memorable. I’ve been very fortunate to have an eye for detail due to my interest in costume, theatre and history of fashion. Even in my earlier days, I would go hunting for grey-haired wigs in flea markets to dress Madhu Sapre as Marie Antoinette or create last minute ‘tantric’ outfits for Milind Soman as I had seen the most incredible, old, sinewy, almost evil looking tree in a jungle in Mehrauli. My quest to create great imagery was also fuelled by the photographers I’ve worked with who furthered my vision. Prabuddha Dasgupta, Bharat Sikka, Tarun Khiwal, Farookh Chothia, Vibash Tiwari are all brilliant and I have much to thank them for.”
About his favourite shoot, Suneet Varma says he loves one of the earliest shots of Feroze Gujral, back in 1989, by Prabuddha Dasgupta. “I won a scholarship in Paris because of this iconic image. I also love a more recent one of Tamara Moss, as she was my rendition of White Swan from the ‘Swan Lake’ show. Another favourite is Madhu Sapre as the angel from ‘Flights of Fancy’,” he shares.
So now, what is he looking forward to? “I just wish to continue learning everyday and doing what I love the most — creating great fashion and expanding my horizons. I’m doing the interiors of the new BMW 7 Series in Munich, which is a huge challenge,” he adds.
Suneet is also planning to pen a coffee table book soon. “Books have always been my first love. I know somewhere inside of me there is a book. It doesn’t have to be about my work only because books are very sacred and live well beyond people. The book will be about the Indian fashion industry and its growth, with all the hurdles and triumphs,” he sums up.