The New Aesthetic

Two avant-garde fashion designers— Gaurav Jai Gupta and Ujjawal Dubey—talk about the introduction of textile innovations, new textures, handwoven techniques, and more suited for an Indian groom.

- Amrit Sarkar

It’s Deep-Veer ki shaadi. Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s wedding had the media almost having difficulty in keeping a count on the number of looks or ceremonies. Nonchalant but informed with the eye of a creator, and watching closely the many attires of actor Ranveer Singh, is a designer who has always been radical. He is a tad disappointed with the man who has always projected a hatke image of himself, except for one psychedelic creation by Manish Arora that he wore at one of his sundowners. No wonder, the designer we are talking about, while a product at NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology), created quite a buzz in the campus back in 2002 by using copper and steel as fabric.

We’re referring above to designer Gaurav Jai Gupta, founder of the label Akaaro, who says: “You cannot go berserk in terms of fashion with grooms wear in India. A lot depends on Bollywood and, as you see, one of fashion’s poster boys, Ranveer Singh didn’t break the norm in that sense as marriages in India have a lot to do with families. When we talk about people in the mainstream, they go for traditional attire endorsed by leading public figures, like a celebrity cricketer. Then there are the ones who sport an international label largely for ceremonies surrounding their D-day.’’