Indian fashion industry has been growing and has given room for many budding designers who aim to be at the top some day. With new designers emerging in the industry, Indian fashion has been blooming with new concepts and designs. In the same line, the designer duo Priyangsu Maji and Sweta Tantia have managed to garner some of the country’s biggest celebrities who adore their eclectic collections.
They have completed only six years in this competitive industry, but their designs have been worn by celebrities like Madhuri Dixit, Sania Mirza, Kalki Koechlin, Zareen Khan, Divya Khosla Kumar, Rakul Preet Singh, Elli Avram, Surveen Chawla and Lakshmi Manchu among
many more.
The designers were inspired by bold tribal prints and motifs that reflected the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary.
The duo wants to take fashion onto a different level. With the same idea and concept, they both collaborated and came up with their brand “Garo”. Launched in Kolkata in 2012, Garo is an Indian luxury brand that creates & designs contemporary Indian wear for women. The brand is distinguished for its bold prints, motifs, unique usage of colours, quality of fabrics, elaborate embroideries and magnificently rich Indian artistic taste.
“We wanted to create something which we like and which is rooted towards our culture. Our clothes are basic rooted yet commercially viable with a modern twist and turn. They have a lot of tribal influences with drapes.” Maji says to Guardian 20.
The designers were inspired by bold tribal prints and motifs that reflected the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. So, they decided to name it on a tribe in Assam. Their label is also known for being bold. “They inspire both of us. So, we decided to dedicate our designs to them. In every season we create a new line which is in conjunction some tribal influence,” says Tantia.
Talking about their design philosophy, Tantia says, “We try and make clothes which are wearable, which has to have sensibility, we try and maintain that, along with that make it more wearable and not over the top.”
Also, what apart us from other designers is that we concentrate on the intricacy, and finishing of the garments sets us apart from the other designers,” adds Maji.
Specialised in womenswear, the designer thinks that has womenswear been changing all these years. “Ofcourse, earlier people were more conventional but nowadays scenario is changed people are experimenting more, and willing to try different silhouettes, different drapes, and also off beat colours,” says Tantia.
The designers have launched their new collection for this festive season. The line of designs is a mix of purely traditional outfits as well as indo-western silhouettes. Known as Catalya — themed collection is a rare South American orchid that symbolises strength & individuality, an extravaganza of colors, detailed embroidery and flowy silhouettes.
They also launched “Femmes di Tahiti” — themed collection which was inspired by native Tahitian prints, colours and motifs. It incorporates the stunning natural beauty; beautiful floral landscapes and bohemian style of Tahitian women with an eclectic French Polynesian flavour.
Though the designers work together on a design, they don’t deny that they both also face creative differences when it comes to create certain patterns or designs. “Of course, everybody faces creative differences, because no two minds are alike, but we try and come to mutual consent, and that depicts in our design,” says Maji.
With the presence of veteran designers like Anju Modi, Anita Dongre, Ritu Kumar who are specialized into womenswear, when asked how would they create their space in the women fashion industry, Tantia says, “I think survival is the only way by one create a space in this big fashion industry. Since the competition in the fashion world is increasing everyday with new and aspiring faces, trying to get their work on the runway would be our aim,” says Tantia.
Suggesting on how to carry one’s outfit, Maji concludes, “Just be yourself, just wear whatever u feel comfortable, and you make your own style statements.”