The bride is in a gold Amit Aggarwal dress made entirely by embroidering polymer strips on tulle, with a moulded bodice in sequin and bugle bead embroidery. This is on an episode of Amazon Prime Video’s April drop, Four More Shots Please! At a time when fashion editors and designers are having conversations about the need for minimalism, what with weddings being downsized by Covid-19, one wonders if there is room for Aggarwal’s exquisite brand of sartorial drama. The designer says ‘yes’. “The entire language of weddings is going to change with social distancing as the norm. But it won’t change how the bride and groom want to look and feel,” he insists.
We are on a phone call where Aggarwal, 39, recalls his solo grand finale (his first) at Lakme Fashion Week in February. It featured the highly engineered occasion-wear he is known for, with recycled polymers and industrial waste as embellishments. The sculptural element was in tune with what was also seen at the Paris Fashion Week spring/summer 2020 shows. “We had the collection at the store in the first week of March. We were swamped with bookings and orders and client appointments,” says Aggarwal. A week before lockdown he made the decision to shut his store and factory, referring to the safety of his clients and his 300-strong workforce.
Moving sculptures
Since then he has put his retail expansion plans on hold, focussing instead on the sustainable aesthetic of his label. “The language is not going to significantly change. This situation gives us more reason to make it relevant,” says the designer whose 18 years in fashion includes working with couturier Tarun Tahiliani. The plan is to edit, not add. “We have always spoken about the coexistence of natural and manmade. We are going to control all our purchases, with no imported fabrics. The first step is to work with our existing resources.” Taking pointers from his lifestyle over the last month – he shares his preference for dal chawal and says washing utensils can be therapeutic! – he hopes to implement this simplicity at work post lockdown. Excess fabrics will go into creating “something new and fresh, an interesting story for clients”.
- Elle’s fashion director Malini Banerji, who helped style Amit Aggarwal’s Axil collection for both the editorial and runway, says confidence is key to the collection.
- “You will need to edit and see how it works for you. People around the bride will need to wear something dramatic for the evening, and the pre-draped saris are modern. They can be styled in so many ways. At the end of the day, you want to look like you made an effort. And with a ‘make or break’ outfit, you don’t need to load up on jewellery.”
Like his fellow designers, Aggarwal has been utilising this time to “look inwards”, through sketches and poems that are often showcased on the brand’s Instagram page. “They are drawings that don’t have a purpose. Otherwise 90% of my sketches are about a collection or facilitating a client’s request,” he says. Last month, he shared a sketch of “man fornicating with nature” with the digital magazine, Voice of Fashion. It was accompanied by verse. “After an apocalypse, there is a ray of hope. I don’t want to enter the dark side. This is a time when you can build a new fantastical world around you,” he says.
Kareena Kapoor Khan walking the ramp at Amit Aggarwal’s LFW SS’20 show | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Working with separates
He refers to how thoughtful brands have been instilling hope, some of his favourites being the initiatives by luxury houses Valentino and Alexander McQueen, where poetry and creativity play a role. While we speak, he alerts me to a parrot that has just visited his balcony – a first for him in his South Delhi house. “This pause or lockdown has shown that multiple dimensions can exist together beautifully,” he says.
- Each week on Instagram, Alexander McQueen announces a creative challenge to artists. This week, followers have been asked to experiment with embroidery, and take inspiration from the brand’s bee dresses from 2013. Meanwhile, Valentino’s Instagram feed has seen performances by Alicia Keys and poet Rupi Kaur.
As for his collections, from the new age saris with plisse details to the geometric blouses with wings, he says multiple wearability is key. “Our clothes are occasion wear and worn by brides. But if you are going for an opulent blouse, make your skirt simpler so you can wear it later with a jacket for a pared-down look.” It helps that the dresses do not come with an under layer and are thus light. “That is an important decision we made early on. It feels like couture but can be stored in a tiny box,” promises Aggarwal.
Saris start at ₹70,000 and the gowns start at around ₹1.5 lakh.