Indian designers are waking up to pret: Designer Anita Dongre

By Sugandha Rawal

New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) Her label took global flight when Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton opted for her creation for a day out in India and she is dedicated to the world of fashion as she has "no time and no plans for Bollywood". Designer Anita Dongre says the Indian fashion industry is evolving with pret coming of age and designers waking up to its global popularity.

The designer, who is not only a celebrated name in the Indian fashion industry but also a successful entrepreneur courtesy her brand AND Design India Pvt Ltd, feels "couture is all about bridal wear" in the country.

"Pret is coming of age and designers are waking up to that. The pret market will only grow now because designer labels are coming into everyday wear and everyday pricing," Dongre told IANS in an email interview from Mumbai.

She also feels India must "wake up" to the trend of catering to women of all sizes.

"We have always believed in creating designs for all women. All my brands have sizes from 8 to 18," added the designer, who also runs Grassroots, a label dedicated to Indian crafts, handlooms and textiles.

Talking about couture, she said: "Couture is all about bridal wear (here). Weddings are the only time people buy beautiful couture. It is a great time for designers to put the most lavish collections together."

From Manish Malhotra, Anju Modi to Rocky S and Sabyasachi Mukherjee, designers are reviving the definition of fashion in films with their creations. But Dongre likes to maintain her distance from the silver screen.

"So far I have no time and no plans for Bollywood," she said.

She might not have time to take up the canvas of Bollywood for her creations, but she asserted that celebrities are "big fashion influencers".

"Bollywood has a huge reach in our country. People look up to the celebrities for fashion trends. And these days most of the Bollywood girls are extremely well-dressed. They're big fashion influencers, said Dongre, who roped in actress Kareena Kapoor Khan as a muse for her brand AND, and Aditi Rao Hydari for the 'Love Notes' campaign of her label Anita Dongre recently.

She says Kate Middleton's decision to pick her ensemble for one of her outings in India back in April brought her brand into spotlight globally.

"Of course it is a matter of immense pride that I am the only designer who dressed Duchess Kate Middleton on her visit to India. It was a wonderful experience for me personally; and the label made headlines across the world," said Dongre, who is known as much for her pret lines as for her couture creations -- which are a blend of traditional and contemporary.

Dongre will now be showcasing her Epic Love collection at the FDCI India Couture Week (ICW) 2016 this week, and will soon launch a 10,000 sq ft flagship store at Kila Mehrauli near the Qutub Minar this year.

Asked about her collection at the ICW 2016, which begins here from Wednesday, Dongre said: "Our muse - the young gypsy princess - is free-spirited, yet embraces tradition in her own special way... Traditional styles like the lehenga choli and sari are reinvented in contemporary silhouettes."

(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)