BENGALURU: When city-based fashion designer Laxmi Krishna says she likes to design clothes which can connect to our everyday life, but with a different perspective, people might think she uses different colours or materials. But this 30-year-old designer went on to give a met-gala look to a daily-life object, newspaper. She designed a gown using several newspapers. “I have used 200 pages of newspapers to make this costume. Most of my works are inspired by vintage looks. This one is also a long gown which includes cloth with newspaper printing as well as real newspapers. Many have done clothes with printed newspaper collages. I thought, why can’t we use actual newspapers?”

Working in the Sandalwood industry for three years, Krishna is famous for her costume designs in movies like Lisa, Giftbox, Vichitra Prema Kathe, Iruvudellava Bittu and Namo. She talks about how the film industry is providing a wider space for fashionistas. “I have worked for 15 Kannada movies. As a costume designer, I have to think like each character. Her emotions and situations need to be fully understood,” she said, adding, “But some actors will be very specific about their style, which sometimes become challenging for us. They may not like to expose their body in a particular way. Then, we have to design according to their needs and also in line with the film’s requirement.”

Krishna has just finished her work in the upcoming movie Ranganayaki, which is scheduled to release in October. “It’s a story of a woman who has been gangraped. After such an attack, how a survivor faces the society and how she gets rid of that trauma later is the story. All these have not only have to be acted, but should also be expressed through her costumes. This movie was a different experience for me,” she said. Along with movies, she designs for tele-series like Kasturi Kitchen, Ondu Cinema Kathe and Prema Loka.  
Krishna is an engineer by profession. Hailing from a conservative Mangaluru family, she could only pursue her dreams after marriage. “What I am today is all because of my husband. There were a lot of restrictions in my family. But he stood by my dreams,” she said.

She tries to bring new perspectives in every costume and is working on creating gowns and sarees out of Bollywood film posters and comics. “I’m fond of Bollywood styles and Marilyn Monroe. I will keep experimenting this way in future.”