Weaving new styles

A young and blooming face in the world of fashion, Neha Kukreja has carved a niche for herself as a designer.

Her playfulness with clothes has given form to dreamy outfits and they come alive through her label ‘Closet Couture by Neha Kukreja’. Fairytale costume-like flares, princess flows and transforming colours — her creativity and innovation with clothes is evident in her varied Indo-Western designs.

She learnt the minute aspects of designing in a design school for a year. “I had my reasons to enrol myself out of this school after 12 months,” she says. However, her tryst with the needle and thread continued even after this as she is now pursuing her BCom degree at St Joseph’s College of Commerce.

A degree is just for certification, as Neha says, without any regrets, “I like my skills better when I am outside college.” And surely she does concentrate more on what she is passionate about, as it is this skill of hers that came out at the recent Bangalore Fashion Week.

Her collection at the Fashion Week wore a coral theme and it was a red family of varied patterns that rocked the ramp in elegance. With flowy gowns transforming to Indian wear gracefully, she brought out her own interpretations of cuts and patterns with panache. “This being my first collection, was appreciated and chosen to be exposed to a wider audience at the Fashion Week. This was my first ever show and the response was overwhelming,” she says with a tinge of pride in her voice.

Her design philosophy boasts of a fun-loving manipulation with fabrics (not overdone), which have meticulous weaves piped by hand. A devotee of ombre colours, she uses light and dark ombre shades. With inspiration flown from nature, her designs, “like the flower that has shades of the same colour spreading out from its centre”, have darker panels at the end. “I keep in mind not to use monochrome hues,” she says.

Garnering success from her first show, she says that she sees the competition in the field to be very healthy and encouraging. While she agrees that there definitely exists a pressure with so many designers doing well, she adds, “I am not worried. I want to better myself every day.”

Talk about how important it is to be aware and follow the changing trends in fashion, she replies, “You make your own trend. You have to put your imagination to good use and visualise your style. There are different ways to style an attire. If you feel and look good, then go ahead without caring about what the trend is.”

An ambitious young lady, she soon hopes to work for Bollywood stars and then move on to Hollywood. “People like Eli Saab inspire me and I want to grow big in the industry and be recognised for my work in Hollywood, hopefully a few years down the line,” she says. Simple and elegant being her style mantras, Neha wants to stay classic and indulge in designing comfortable clothes.