Global Indian

Designer Rajesh Pratap Singh tells Saimi Sattar that while working with the same thread, he has been experimenting with new interpretations

Designer Rajesh Pratap Singh’s signature style draws on his Indian roots to craft garments which have clean lines, careful detailing and international silhouettes so that his clothes have a global appeal but remain passionately Indian. His collections are simple yet attention is paid to the minutest of details. Singh has often been associated with Indian fabric mills and at the recent Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, he worked with a new fabric called Tencel, which is sustainable. With five stores in the country, including two in Delhi where he is based, Singh has been trying to extend his boundaries while remaining rooted in his brand’s ethos.  

Shahab Durrazi and Rohit Bal have spoken about the relationship between Bollywood and the fashion industry where the former gets freebies to promote a designer or walk the ramp for them. What is your take on the issue?

I don’t know what Shahab wrote. I really respect him. I was in school when he started out. He is one of the finest in the industry and I am sure what he wrote made sense. As far as Bollywood celebrities are concerned, I have nothing much to comment on. Whenever we worked with them in the past, we have never given them freebies.

What is the collection about? What are the new boundaries of creativity that you’ve pushed?

That is a big word. I have worked with tencel, the most sustainable fibre being made right now. We’ve spun this  in mills and have used it in different parts of the country to make different fabrics. We crafted different lines.

What makes this sustainable is that in the process of getting the fibre,  the residue or emissions that is left over is drinking water. It is made out of wood pulp and the harvesting is done in a jungle. At the moment it is being done in Austria but it will soon have an Asian production base.

The collection is inspired from small town Indian clothes and costumes. It is the clothing that people wear on the street. It also features costumes of dancers. The brief for me was to make ethnic Indian clothes or my version of it. So there are silhouettes and silhouettes. I’ve taken the poshak from Rajasthan, for instance, or even the various draped jackets and twisted them around to make something that is truly Indian.

Has Indian fashion been able to extend the acceptability of its silhouettes in the West?

We are more confident as a society now. When I started, the attempt was always to compete and impress. Over the years, we have become more confident aided by socio-economic ascension in part, and have started finding our own identity. Both Indian men and women are very comfortable in their skin. They respect that and do not get carried away unlike a lot of countries.

Have Indian designers been able to extend their market abroad?

Honestly, I don’t care. We just need to do what comes naturally to us and just do it. If it makes sense for people in India and if it makes sense to people outside India, they can wear it. Like everything else from our country, there is an acceptability of fashion too. And it is growing.

However, I don’t think we should focus on this because we will again fall into the trap of a colonial past where we are looking for approval. If we focus on our work, the rest will fall into place. It is important that we feel good first. World can wait.

How has the grammar of fashion evolved since you started out?

I can speak for myself. We work on the same thread and we keep on finding ourselves again and again. I’ve completely and drastically changed and we keep on experimenting with new things. However, the direction and the voice remains the same. Hopefully things keep on improving though there is no guarantee that it will happen. What we keep on doing is working 24x7 and once in a while we do succeed.

Has Indian couture evolved beyond the wedding market?

There is a need for wedding clothes in India as it is a part of our lifestyle. Indians do shop a lot during weddings, so that ceremony defines our market space. Indian designers are answering that particular need. There is nothing wrong with it. Just that I don’t do it. But there are some people who do a very good job of it. The designer’s job is to choose an area and work on it constantly.  The designs mean so many different things to different people.  Moreover, couture is a complicated word. It is not even an Indian word. It is not a word where we come from.

A designer’s job is to do R&D on how to make clothes. And I follow my connections and sensibilities.

You’ve explored your design sensibilities beyond fashion as you did recently with an installation art at Chivas...

I did that because I was able to make something new and different. I had not made something so big in metal before. I was supposed to communicate my ideas through the sense of touch, something that I had not done before. So it helped me think laterally. I built this huge light tower with taps, like a minar, and you could almost feel light flowing onto your skin under them.

Are you planning to do something like this in the near future?

Right now there are too many things happening for six months so I am focussing on that. Let’s see what happens. Then I will go to the mountains.

How do you incorporate technology in your work?

I do not look at technology as an impediment. It is a constant process of evolution, a connector with an old and the new.

What is the Rajesh Pratap woman like?

It is a woman who I would say thank you to, first of all (laughs). I hope it is somebody interesting and intelligent.

Fashion forecast for the season?

I don’t understand forecasts.