Suneet Verma's colonial era oriental collection

New Delhi, Mar 13 : Taking inspiration from the colonial influence on the lifestyle and culture of the South East Asia, designer Suneet Verma's 'Lure of the Orient' has created oriental magic on the Wills India Fashion Week ramp.

Blending the best of both, Verma weaved together colonial and oriental in his design. They included cavalry jackets, pea coats, sarong skirts, drapy dresses with structured sleeves worn with masculine ties in colours of gold, leaf green, deep maroon, teal, black and white.

Verma has consciously deviated from the usual kimonos, commonly associated with oriental as he worked around other elements to highlight the oriental aspect in his collection.

"If you look at the embroidery, all the red jackets, actually have Spanish embroidery. All the gold jackets are French. So, I took either colour or embellishment or embroidery from the colonization. And for me, everything is contemporary clothing," Verma said.

"My big aim in life is to be able to make something, which is called 'one garment, one world'. I feel that it is important for the clothes to be able to live, eat, breathe, are wearable on a day-to-day basis," Verma added.

The collection drew a lot of appreciation from the audience.

Verma has been known in the past to draw on influences from various quarters like Greek art, Michelangelo's paintings, the Vatican and Tantric art.

Around 82 designers are showcasing their autumn and winter collections at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week' 2008 for more than 150 domestic and international buyers at the Pragati Maidan, a sprawling trade promotion complex in New Delhi.

Estimated to be worth at around six-seven billion rupees, the Indian fashion industry is slated to grow further.

ANI