GLOBAL CITIZEN
Kavi Kavi’s last collection was called Indian Royalty, but DIPIKA GUPTA’S new line has a futuristic touch.
Ottawa’s Dipika Gupta first attracted attention at Toronto Fashion Week with Kavi Kavi, the label she created with her twin sister Ravika and older sibling Monika. A couple of collections later, Ravika has moved to New York City to study at Parsons The New School for Design, and Monika has moved into the beauty industry. Dipika Gupta has retained the label since 2011, but she wanted to take it in a new direction.
Born in Zambia, Gupta, 35, lived in India before moving to Ottawa. She learned sewing from her mother and sold her first pair of pants at 12. She studied accounting and economics at the University of Toronto and fashion design at George Brown College.
The last collection Gupta produced with her sisters, called Indian Royalty, riffed on the lush colours and the luxurious sequins and metallic thread embroidery of India. Hip-hop artist Somaya Reece wore a jewel-cuffed white Kavi Kavi blouse, and the label’s clothes are sold in Toronto, Montreal, New York and San Francisco.
When Gupta struck out on her own, she spent months at an embroidery factory in Mumbai, which is also contracted to produce work for major designers. Gupta wanted the richness of India with a futuristic edge.
“They are artisans who do art on clothing. It’s not with machines. It’s with their hands,” she says. “Design is art. I can be a little more creative that way. I don’t like to manipulate fabric. I like to create art on clothing. I like to be challenged with detail.”
Her new collection in black, white, red and blue ranges from embellished T-shirts for about $100 to evening dresses for $1,000. Her OFW runway show takes place Sept. 15 at Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau.
“I want to be in 20 countries, even though I’m from Ottawa,” says Gupta, who hopes that some day, Kavi Kavi will be a sister company to a brand developed by her twin Ravika.
The next step is to approach apparel buyers and distributors in North America, U.K., Asia and the Middle East, she says. “I am proud to say it’s made in India. It’s very modern.”
‘I don’t like to manipulate fabric. I like to create art on clothing. I like to be challenged with detail.’
DIPIKA GUPTA