Life & Style | Beauty & Fashion
Dubai's the fashion destination
As our very own Fashion Week kicks off to a dazzling start, Manjusha Radhakrishnan chats to two top designers showing in the city
- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:26 October 7, 2008
As our very own Fashion Week kicks off to a dazzling start, Manjusha Radhakrishnan chats to two top designers showing in the city
Hassan Sheheryar Yasin
Pakistani designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, who shuns celebrities and O-T-T designs, speaks to tabloid! about his show tonight at Dubai Fashion Week (DFW).
Tell us more about your spring/summer collection.
For the first time ever, I will be showcasing two different kinds of collections - the HSY resort wear line and my signature HSY couture collections.
The HSY resort line will be all about comfort, freedom of movement and flowing fabrics, while my signature collection, called Destination, will reflect the places that I have visited in the past year. In terms of colour, there's an element of surprise. It will be a single colour palette.
Is there any underlying theme or inspiration behind your collections?
My clothes are all about having fun. In the face of the economic meltdown, it's important that we turn to arts, culture and fashion to liven things up a bit. In terms of inspiration, it's the people I meet and the places I visit that leave a lasting impression.
Also through my collections, I want to shatter the misconception that Indian and Pakistani designers have a tendency to be garish and flamboyant with colours and embroidery.
How would you define the HSY-wearing clientele?
My clothes say timeless elegance, understated glamour and are not stuck in a time warp. My clothes would ideally cater to men and women in this part of the world who are well-travelled and are exposed to other cultures. Longer hemlines and a hint of flesh comes with the territory. Subtlety is another defining factor.
Can we expect any Pakistani celebrities to walk down the ramp in your creations?
No. I find the concept of using a celebrity to showcase your creations archaic. In my opinion, the clothes should hold their own and the use of a popular face deviates attention from the rest of your collection.
In fact, I would find it deeply satisfying if I were to find an ordinary man or woman wearing my clothes and walking down the street, instead of a celebrity sashaying down the ramp in one.
How about the overall look and music?
The HSY resort wear (which will be stocked at in KashMIRI at Souq Al Bahar), I am going for '80s hair and make-up. For my signature collection, the make-up is more dramatic. The hair will be swept back in a neat style though.
What's next?
I am planning to open my first flagship store in Dubai on Jumeirah Beach Road in December. In the meantime, I will be doing a series of fashion shows for charity benefits in London and Chicago. The proceeds will be used to educate the poor in Pakistan.
Tarun Tahiliani
India's Couture King Tarun Tahiliani is unapologetic about being flamboyant. The Wharton Business School, Pennsylvania, US graduate, who showed his collections for the first time at DFW last night, speaks to tabloid! about his collections, Bollywood connections and his future plans.
Tell us more about your collection?
My collection will be a mix of both resort wear and couture. The clothes will have an Indian feel. So, drapes and heavily embellished lehengas (corsets and skirts) in bright colours, heavy embroidery and Swarovski crystals will be there aplenty.
So I guess the global credit crunch will not be reflected in your clothes?
My clothes essentially cater to the upper classes and I believe they will continue to buy them, credit crunch or not. Eclecticism is in and minimalism is on its way out.
Is it true that you hate the word trendy and that you do not seek inspiration from the West?
You are right. I hate following trends and I prefer to be different. Very often, I have seen Indian designers aping Western designers, but all I have to say is that merely aping them in style, cuts or colours will not work.
Develop your distinct sartorial style. That's the only way to go. My clothes are essentially designed to suit Indian sensibilities.
Will your ramp staple Shilpa Shetty (Bollywood actress and Celebrity Big Brother winner) wear one of your creations?
Shilpa and I share an amazing chemistry. She is a great clotheshorse. The orange sari that she wore at one of the Wills India Fashion weeks was superb and is still talked about. She also wore one of my bridal creations at the recent India Couture Week held in Mumbai.
Unfortunately, she will not be in Dubai for my show. But the good news is that for my upcoming Apsara Collection (a collaboration between Levi Strauss Co and Tarun Tahiliani), I am trying to rope her in. If things go well, she will be walking the ramp in beaded, Swarovski-encrusted jeans.
Other than Shilpa Shetty, who else is well-dressed in Bollywood?
If you ask me, all of them are badly dressed. They are mostly driven by the desire to get free dresses from designers.
There would be dramatic change if they would just loosen their purse strings and start shopping by keeping their bodies and personalities in mind.
But if I was forced to drop a few names, then I think Priyanka Chopra and Arjun Rampal make the cut.
What's your stand on the controversy about the four Indian fashion weeks in October?
I have stopped keeping track of the infighting and the fissures among various fashion bodies. I know it is very confusing for buyers, designers and viewers. Therefore, I have taken a conscious decision to stay away from the politics.
Walid Atallah
Lebanese designer Walid Atallah is a relieved man. After having successfully showcased his 33-piece collection at Dubai Fashion Week on Monday, Atallah says the response has been tremendous. Swirls of silk, tafetta and tulle were used in large quantities.
"I have already sold many pieces. My designs have been created keeping in mind the Middle Eastern women and their tastes when it comes evening and bridal wear," says Atallah, in an interview with tabloid!
"The whole idea was to make an Arabic woman feel beautiful," he adds.
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