Designer swears by classic clothing

Designer Pratima Pandey has always emphasised on the use of natural fabrics and indigenous embroidery techniques thereby encouraging craftsmanship and sustainability, through her label 'Prama'. She was the winner of 'Grazia Young Awards' in 2011 in the category of eco-friendly fashion.

Pratima was recently in the city to unveil her latest collection at 'Collage Shop India'. In an interview with Surupasree Sarmmah, the designer talks about her inspiration for the new line, her monsoon basics and more.

Tell us about your latest collection.

My Spring-Summer 18 collection is called 'Leela' which is inspired by the 'leelas' of life. The collection talks about celebrating life. We have colours like red, 'kora', blue and grey dominating the line. The fabric I used for the collection is 'chanderi'.

What have you concentrated on this time?

I have experimented a little bit with the cuts. I work a lot with layering, so that sensibility is the same but I have worked around the cuts a bit.

Which Hollywood celeb or popular personality you would like to dress up?

Jennifer Lawrence. She is so intelligent and beautiful.

What are your monsoon basics?

A loose shirt and trouser.

A fabric you love to work with...

I have always stuck to one textile and that is 'Chanderi'.

You are known to work around well with fusion designs with an Indian sensibility...

I design for the Indian women, keeping in mind the Indian body. I believe in creating classic clothing and which should be timeless. The cuts of my garments are simple, so one can wear, say a kurta, even after five years without feeling out of place.

Who according to you is the most versatile celeb in Bollywood?

There are so many but Jacqueline Fernandez and Deepika Padukone tops my list. There is a lot of shift that I have seen in the recent past. Earlier, celebrities used to make their own choices but today, there are stylists who understand the body of these actors and give them the right kind of signature.

A designer you admire...

I love Japanese designers like Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto and Kenzō Takada. They are so close to their culture yet so evolved in terms of their designs and thought process.

Any piece of advice for young designers...

Try and be original. Don't copy anyone. It's very important. You have to respect the fact that it is somebody else's design.