DRAMATIC DESIGNS
Bazaar finds the raison d’être for designer ARJUN SALUJA—in a têtê-à-têtê, he talks about his fall collection that announced his coming of age By Priyanka Monga
Istep into Arjun Saluja’s studio with a feeling of trepidation. Over our previous phone conversations, the designer gave an impression that he was too preoccupied and caught up, and was hoping he would have enough time to devote to the interview. It however, didn’t take long for my inhibitions to decimate. As I sat down to start our conversation, my pre-conceived notions about Saluja took a 360-degree turn. The 38-year-old is friendly, easy-going, well-dressed (naturally), and obviously knowledgeable. He would have to be. Saluja’s talent—impressionable and worth applauding—has withstood the test of time, and is evidence of his sustainability in the cut-throat business of fashion.
The latest proof of this is the designer’s fall/winter collection, inspired by female construction workers called ‘No ground beneath my feet’. As he takes me through the line, what stands out is his emphasis on storytelling through his clothes. “I always create my clothes for a certain woman. For my fall collection, I tried to capture the story of women construction workers who, dressed in masculine shirts, were working near my house.” Saluja painstakingly goes on to explain the reason for every detail in his clothes, from the Urdu lettering used as prints in the clothing line, to the judicious use of colours, and the significance of structure in his garbs.
Saluja launched his label Rishta (relationship) in India in 2005, after spending a few years in New York, where he also worked as a visual merchandiser at Armani Exchange. His label, he explains, spelt out his relationship with his mother. “It started from there but now it is about my relationship with different things—my travel, my work, my clients, and so on.” Over the years, Saluja has created various collections with different conceptual stories for each and has been consistent in impressing all with his unconventional style. What remains the focus of his designs is the characteristic androgynous trait. “My collections always have an element of androgyny because I create it with those kind of women in mind—women who are tough and strong,” he says.
And yet, there is a unique balance that Saluja manages to achieve in his clothes for women, which sometimes even men ask for. “I love playing with gender through my garments. There are women who wear my men’s collection garments and men who ask for designs created for women. Because the balance of the garment is right, it makes the clothes wearable for both,” he says.
While understanding his approach to design, I probe him about one of his signature creations—the lehenga pants. “I still call them Hakama pants,” he says with a smile. “I was inspired by martial arts and created this silhouette after much deliberation on ways to contemporise it and make it more wearable. But these pants don’t sell as much in Delhi as they do in Mumbai.”
Structure and drape are the high points of Saluja’s aesthetic. He doesn’t like to glamourise his womenswear collections, and instead believes in experimenting with new shapes and forms that fall within the boundaries of his collection. And his clothes, replete with solid colours and prints, are always akin to narrations. “My collections are based on a story. If my story requires colour or prints, then the collection will have those. But shapes fascinate me, so pattern making is the USP of the label.”
Since his last collection is the closest to his heart, he plans to take the story further in his next line, for the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week to be held later this year. “It will be an extension of what I have done in my last collection. I don’t like to change much. So, the changes will be very subtle.”
So here’s hoping to see his next collection—a masterpiece line of drape and shape.