Fashion gets arty inspiration

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Fashion flirts with art, as designers take the arty route to express their creativity. Designer Kallol Datta, after working on an installation project, recently launched his autumn/winter line at Project 88 Art Gallery. Designer Shilpa Chavan’s exhibits include moving installations inspired by street life in India for the Regent Street Festival in the UK. Earlier designer Anupama Dayal had created a tree-shaped installation, Tree-D, while designer Nitin Bal Chauhan often reveals his arty side too.

According to Kallol, a creative person can take to any medium for self-expression. He loves to tell his stories through different media. Talking about the idea of presenting his show in a gallery, Kallol says change is always good. “We have always seen models sashaying down the ramp but when that happens in a gallery space, it is a completely different experience. It’s like models flaunting artworks,” he says.
However, designer Shilpa thinks that the work of every designer can’t fit the arty bracket. Talking about her installation art show, which she showcased at UK Victoria Museum, Shilpa says that it was a creative outburst of a different kind.
“It was a show completely inspired by the street life of Mumbai. So, I put together elements like empty Pepsi bottles, plastic toys that we get at red lights and channa puri cones to create headgears, shoulder pieces and other artworks,” she says.
Designer Astha Narang recently created a graphic art line with 3D forms by blending the creative thoughts of artist Goran Konjevod, who uses techniques of folding and creates 3D shapes. “Mine is a flirty yet elegant arty line. I wanted to use bright and cool colours like blues, greens and greys. Each ensemble is an exploration of depth to find new meaning. For me it was an awakening of an artist in me,” he shares.
Designer Pria Kataria Puri admires the works of the great artist Picasso. She has created some prints inspired by his paintings. And yes, designers are almost artists, she agrees, “I love to play with colours like off-white, black, bright shades of blue and soft pink. I also created a vintage hair and makeup look that’s inspired by the art of Spain.”