Japanese art and Indian craft: Designer taps two worlds

Mumbai, Nov 28 (IANS) Whether its the fashion, culinary or music world, fusion has become the buzzword to add a whiff of freshness, believes designer Adarsh Makharia of Osaa By Adarsh, who found inspiration in Japanese flower arrangement art Ikebana for a fashion line that also exudes a a hint of Indianness.

"The floral balance through space and asymmetry in the Ikebana art caught my attention where the arrangement of flowers and the stems was modern, full of life and yet has an inherent spiritual aspect," Makharia, the Managing and Creative Director at Osaa By Adarsh, told IANS in an email interview.

His brand offers a range of bridal couture, and each shade in the collection is related to Ikebana -- the crystal blue of water that infuses life, the lush green of leaves and the bright colours of flowers.

"From culinary experiences to the music that we hear, we are all living in the world of fusion cosmos to add a new dimension, some new excitement in our everyday life. The Japanese textiles and prints has always intrigued me since the last 18 years of being in this space.

"For me, what was most exciting was to fuse the Indian craftsmanship and Japanese art to make both the worlds look interesting without losing the essence of either," he explained.

A designer who loves to add an abstract and dramatic edge with a slight twist of Indianness and strong colour essence to his ensembles, Makharia said the idea was to go beyond just using the colours as inspiration.

"I was keen to extend the idea to not just the colours, weaves and the appliques, but also to the silhouettes. I have infused very simple aspects of the kimono in the collars, sleeves and the belt to keep the traditional soul intact and merged it with vibrant modern Indian colours like aubergine, emerald, purple making it look perfect for autumn-winter and appealing for the young audience.

"Styling can actually bring out the marked extremities of both worlds," he said.

A lot of designers are experimenting with and emphasising on the styling of sleeves. What has led to the trend?

"Honestly, I don't really see what's happening around the world, but for me, since my last two collections, I have really moved on to focus on how I could look at making the sleeves look interesting. From dynamic cuts, to ruffles, to layers, sleeves bring about a balance in an outfit and can add a new dimension to the design."

The wedding season is here. What will be in?

"With the advent of social media, the young crowd is aware about the styles around the world. They are ready to experiment with the Indian couture in a new way which was not the case five years back. This season, I feel brides-to-be will opt for strong colours like emerald, aubergine, wine and add a lovely contrast element in the blouse or dupatta.

"Open jackets, long capes and layered lehengas will be a popular trend with focus on more handcrafted and detailed handwork, elegantly styled than heavily embellished."