There has been a preoccupation with florals on global runways of late — from Dolce & Gabbana’s vivid hothouse blooms to Roberto Cavalli’s delicate prints. Closer home, however, this trend has taken a quirky turn with Pixel. A three-way collaboration between designers Saaksha & Kinni, multi-hyphenate architect Rooshad Shroff, and curator-owner Samyukta Nair of Clove, it brings together their common love of abstract florals, geometry and Indian craftsmanship. “I wanted to do something that would marry fashion and design. Rooshad and Saaksha & Kinni have a traditional aesthetic — be it the mediums they use or their prints — but it finds a modern, contemporary form, which is incredibly exciting,” explains Nair.
Whimsical abstracts
Showcased at her lifestyle store in Colaba, Mumbai, the collection comprises Shroff’s plates with abstract floral marble inlay, and summer silhouettes from Saaksha Bhat and Kinnari Kamat that hark back to childhood vacations in Gujarat and Rajasthan. “We’ve taken leheriya from Rajasthan and the ikats and geometrical florals found in Gujarati architecture,” says Bhat, sharing how the feminine flower has been given a darker, edgier feel by pixelating it. “We’ve also extensively used hand micro-pleating, inspired by the art of Gujarati crushing.” Expect gypsy dresses, skirts with kedia-style blouses, shirts, and palazzos in cotton, silk and organza.
Playing with illusions
Meanwhile, Shroff reinterpreted the duo’s fabrics to create his line of marble plates. Made with white makrana and black bheslana, they incorporate red onyx and semi-precious stones like malachite and lapis lazuli for colour.
“They are not reproductions of the pixelated flowers; we’ve distorted them, to craft an optical illusion. This also adds softness to the rigidity of geometry,” says the interior and product designer, who has been working with marble for a couple of years. While earlier he teamed up with artisans from Jaipur for a series of carved marble bulbs, lately he is in Agra, working with skilled inlay artists.
He says that while they have generations of know-how, a simple thing like shifting from floral work to geometric was hard. “They’re used to that fluid movement. Making them work with geometric motifs is an attempt to make their craftsmanship more contemporary,” says Shroff, adding that he is exploring inlay work on double curvature next, for a new series of bulbs.
Marble plates (five and eight inches) from ₹7,000 onwards, and clothing from ₹8,000 to ₹18,000. Details: clovethestore.com