The Hindu Business Line : From words to the world of fashion

Serendipity... No other word can, perhaps, describe socialite author Shobhaa De's life better than this word, which means the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident.

The Mumbai-based De's life has been a series of happy discoveries beginning with her stint as a model, then as editor of Stardust after which she became a best-selling author (her books are now available in German and Italian editions), creator of signature of designing signature apartments in Pune city and now her romance with the world of fashion.

It is not surprising, then, that her label for Genesis Colours, the company that owns the Satya Paul brand, should be called Serendipity.

"This is a whole new journey for me... I get manic bouts of creativity and it is not unusual these days for me to wake up in the middle of the night to write down or sketch ideas that come into mind before they are lost,'' says De, of her journey from words to wardrobes.

The 50-plus author walked into Samsaara, Genesis' multi-brand designer retail outlet here, to launch her label, dressed in a trademark Satya Paul saree and gold halter-neck blouse and gave the teenaged models there a run for their money. "In Italy recently I was being bombarded with statements about the brilliance of garments from Versace and others and I told them that nothing can better the elegance of the saree — it is the most perfect piece of garment and the West still does not have an answer to that.

"Indian fashion does not need to look to the West for inspiration. We have to look inwards at our old traditions of weaving and embroidery and colours and establish ourselves just as the Japanese or Chinese have taken pride in their textile traditions There is no point trying to be the poor man's Cavalli,'' said the author, who is a close observer of the fashion world.De's collection, which debuted recently in Delhi and Chandigarh, is a medley of colours, textures, weaves, rich brocades and other traditional handwork from across the country.

The collection is the product of her partnership with little known designers or crafts people who have established themselves in definitive niches — thus, a Bangladeshi designer who is reviving the Jaamdani tradition of the region collaborates with the aspiring designer to create a limited number of sarees while another partners for a range of Kota sarees in real zari.

Punjab's vibrant Phulkari work finds itself on the shelves in a range of stylish jackets and tunics while a Bangalore - based designer has been roped in for an another collection.

"Demystifying fashion and bringing it back from the esoteric la-la land that it has now become is something that has to happen fast and I think I can do that with my label,'' De said presenting her collection of separates, which borrows heavily from Indian traditions but finishes of with a contemporary twist.

The label, incidentally, also has her designers presenting a range of shirts for the metro sexual man.

So what is the next step in the journey of self-discovery for De? "Oh, I believe life is all about the right timing and opportunities. I don't mind a shot at script- writing. I get dozens of producers calling up for scripts but a couple of minutes into the discussion they say the script is great but could I please add a couple of scenes from Collateral or some other Bollywood blockbuster and that is the end of the discussion,'' De signs off.

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