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Journalism of Courage
Two days before Holi,its best to avoid the narrow and grungy bylanes of Dehis Sant Nagar. They wear a quiet and calm look which can be both deceptive and unpredictable. At the end of one such lane is Delhi-based designer Arjun Salujas office and workshop. Upon entering the office,an undressed mannequin or two greet you,the kaarigars are busy finishing the production of the latest Autumn-Winter collection and one door leads to his office. It is a designers space that doesnt look like one at all an old dusty desktop,a big,fat,messy patch of peeling wall,a clerical-looking green file that has Rishta (Salujas label) written on it with a ballpoint pen barely reflecting his fashion sensibilities. Rishta was founded in the New York in 2000 and in India in 2005.
Known for the various silhouettes he creates,Saluja is largely responsible for making pants (read dozens of interpretations of trousers) an intriguing garment in contemporary Indian fashion. From dhoti pants to lehanga pants,pleated baggy pants to palazzos,Saluja innovates relentlessly. Ask him if hes kept count of the types he has introduced and he laughs loudly,Nah. I cant count. He then begins to explain the origin of such ideas. Pants have been part of Indian culture for very long be it the salwar or the churidar or a sharara. I just put a modern twist for a newer silhouette. A farmer wears a dhoti and then a politician wears a dhoti,between the two extremes,everyone is trying to do their own thing and the dhoti pants are a result of that, explains the designer.
His latest collection titled,No ground beneath my feet,that walked the runway at Wills Lifestyle Indian Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2012 held in Delhi a few weeks back was no different. Tailoring being his strength,Salujas collection was confident and sharply cut be it power shoulders or silk palazzos. His clothes have a story to tell and this time it was about a construction worker in Indian cities. Its about the dichotomy of life how she lives in a makeshift house and then rebuilds at another location when her work is complete. Even the fabrics and surface ornamentation on the garments depict how she builds hope from ruin, says Saluja.
For this particular Autumn-Winter range,the designer observed how women labourers dress,took photographs and saw the androgyny that exists in their clothing. He calls fashion a medium of expression,just like any other art form and it is this itch to constantly express that got Saluja interested in theatre acting and fashion at a young age. He eventually chose to study fashion at the Philadelphia College of Textile and Science.
I have no particular inspiration as far as my fashion sensibilities are concerned it could be a book or a movie or a conversation or just an image that can trigger a thought, he says. This time Japanese writer Haruki Murakamis Dance,Dance,Dance was partly responsible for the collection. I loved the music and mystery the way he depicts women, says Saluja.
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