Ace fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani believes the "notion of 30 kilos bridal wear" must change with a focus on timelessness and sustainability.
The designer, who opened the ongoing FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week with a digital preview of his latest bridal collection, said the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown made both the creators and the buyers understand the need for sustainable living.
"Rather than selecting an entire outfit, people have become keener towards buying specific pieces with greater wearability which can be donned in numerous ways and paired with different garments.
"We need to support the idea of buying less and in turn buying pieces that have a story attached and if these stories are followed through then it would help the planet as it is all one big ecosystem tied together," Tahiliani told PTI.
Titled "The Reunion", the couturier's extravagant collection consisted of ten diverse capsule lines for Autumn/Winter2021.
The range has been curated with a conscious effort to allow its wearers to rethink their wardrobes with effortless fluidity.
Tahiliani has experimented with classic Indian traditional crafts, and given them a contemporary touch using fabrics like organza, silk, brocade, tulle, raw silk and crushed chanderi.
The designer, known for dressing up celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Madhuri Dixit, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, said while reinvention is a constant process, the pandemic gave him time to execute ideas that have been with him for years.
"Post the pandemic, people wanted likeness and wanted to be able to dance and reuse their clothes. To accomplish the same, the very notion of 30 kilos bridalwear must change, the approach and construction must change. It is an ongoing process and due to the pandemic, we got the time to focus on this."
However, being inventive amid a global health crisis came with its set of challenges, said the couturier.
"I really believe if one goes to work with the right idea and motivation, the universe will also find a way to support them and it has. Anything new and inventive comes with its own set of challenges but travel restrictions due to lockdown indeed made it difficult."
As somebody who has spent over three decades in the fashion industry, Tahiliani said his design sensibilities and motivation has evolved a lot since when he started.
"Today, from our best-selling collection that is being showcased here, people are going to give their granddaughter to wear in different ways, for instance, the fine Chikankari and Pichwai collections. That's what being sustainable is and who we are as Indians and will always be," he added.
After having a digital preview on Tuesday, Tahiliani showcased 'The Reunion' in a physical presentation on Thursday.
The showcase comprised of time-tested craft techniques brought to the forefront as mini capsule collections – Molten Haveli, Temple Mauli, Pichwai, Chikankari, Pakeezagi, Divine Drapes, Shesh Mahal, Ragrez, Brocade and Bridal.
Apart from bridal wear, the range, dominated by Tahiliani's signature feminine drapes, also had various ready-to-wear pieces, a category which the designer said has always been close to his heart.
"Ready-to-wear entails the concept of sustainability, greater wearability and allows the wearer to style it in her own personal style. In my opinion, artisanal fashion is the way ahead as it is flexible in nature and easy to put together, be it with a pair of jeans, a kurta, a concept sari, and much more.
"I think the dated idea of doing elaborate sets should give way to the fluid fashion that consumers can buy and put together in their own individualistic way," he said.
The FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week 'phygital' edition -- a combination of digital and physical shows -- will conclude on Sunday.
Ace couturier Gaurav Gupta will be the grand finale designer with Kareena Kapoor walking the ramp as the showstopper.
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