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Memories of Rohit Khosla, a pioneer of Indian fashion who died in 1994, lit up the ramp as the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) paid a tribute to the legend.
Khosla, born Nov 29, 1958, was just 36 years old when he died in 1994.
Many professionals of the Indian fashion fraternity regard Khosla as the man who brought together and galvanised the Indian fashion movement. At a time when there was no awareness of fashion as a creative expression, he struggled to realise what he believed in.
"He was one of our extremely talented designers, who unfortunately died very young. According to people in the Indian fashion fraternity, he is considered the one who started the kind of styling and fashion that we see today," Rathi Vinay Jha, director general of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), organiser of WIFW, told IANS.
The fashion fete, which was held Sep 5-9, had two main showcase areas and outside each one 32 feet tall walls were erected displaying pictures of Khosla, his works and quotes. Also projectors showed persons close to the style guru talking about him.
I love fabric. I love the human form in totality, and I love mixing them together: Rohit Khosla, read one of the walls.
Fashion week's grand finale designer Rohit Bal dedicated his collection 'Syaahi' to the master creator.
"My collection is a tribute to Rohit, who loved fabric and design," said Bal.
The idea of paying the genius a tribute during the WIFW was the brainchild of executive director of FDCI, Sumeet Nair.
"It was a befitting tribute to him. He was the founder of the industry. I am so glad that we could do it in our own little way," said Nair.
"In this way we could also educate the budding designers and unaware people about his great contribution to the fashion industry of our country," maintained Nair.
Khosla's designs bore an unmistakable Indian sensibility. The designer believed that clothes were a complement to one's inner being. The harmonious exploration in his work offered the contemporary Indian woman, evolving out of her traditional mould, and new options for expressing herself.
Commenting about the creative brilliance of Khosla, fashion designer Rina Dhaka said: "His work was a mix of modernity and a lot of grandeur. He used feathers, lycra and tights during his time."
"I am sure he would have created a stir globally if he showcased his collection now. It is a perfect time to display the kind of work he used to do," said Dhaka.
Talking about his personality Leena of designer duo Ashima-Leena said, "He was a very practical person, subtle and simple. And all this reflected in his clothes, which were full of elegance and sophistication. His self-explanatory clothes had the strength to capture anyone's attention".
Indo-Asian News Service
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