A label launch in February 2008. And Bridal Asia in August. Calcutta-based designer Jaya Rathore is very excited. “I was always interested in design and did short stints before marriage at Espee and Zenon,” recalls the INIFD student. Then she ran into the usual hurdles and marriage and kids brought her career to a halt. But now, she is back. “It’s better late than never. Now I can completely indulge,” smiles Jaya.

The designer creates her garments at her Topsia workshop. She likes her designs classic. “When someone spends Rs 50,000 or Rs 1 lakh on an outfit, they should be able to take it out of their cupboards and wear it after 10 years. My ethnic designs are rooted in Indian tradition and my European-inspired cocktail range is heavily researched too,” says Jaya.

l this while keeping a steady eye on trends. “For my outfits, the cuts are sometimes trendy but the kaarigari is always timeless,” she adds. So in every sari there are “25 kinds of stitches”. Detailing and hand embroidery are her forte and she hopes to bring the old craftsmanship back into the limelight. “These days, the embroideries are not very good as more and more boutiques are looking for short cuts,” she feels.

Bridal Asia is calling on her next week and Jaya has dubbed it her “launch pad of sorts”. She says she has been waiting for the right platform to showcase her designs to Calcutta and now, here it is! “They didn’t randomly select me. They saw my work again and again. Now that I am in, I feel more sure about my designs than ever.”

Jaya is also quite focused on her long-term plans and there’s no flagship store in the pipeline because she believes she can “either create or sell”. After touring with Bridal Asia, she is happy to be with Ensemble and Ogaan. “I don’t want to be too easily available,” Jaya signs off.

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Model: Rachele. Picture by Pabitra Das

Talat Kazmi believes in a no-plan approach. Not bad for someone who retails from Aza, Ensemble, Kimaya, Elahe, Amara, Mogra, Ffolio and closer home at Prana and Finesse.

The fashion designer, a political science post-graduate, works quietly in her Mahatma Gandhi Road residence and has been churning out fashions for the past eight years. “Though I was always interested in the finer aspects of good life and fashion came naturally to me, I was also academically-oriented. I decided to finish studying and then go head on with a creative career,” says Talat.

So she enrolled for a private crash course and while studying, received some assignments. “I started retailing from Espee and Zenon and soon was travelling across the country to show my collections to large stores. Elahe liked my stuff, then Melange, then Aza and Kimaya… Divya (Gurwara, CEO of Bridal Asia) liked my designs at Kimaya and contacted me. Things happen suddenly with me, I don’t plan anything.”

What she does carefully plan though is her line of work. Her designs are all Indian, she is a trousseau specialist. Saris, suits, lehngas… Talat employs a lot of heavy embroidery in her work. Expect a generous dose of bling — zardosi, mukaish, aari, zari and some chikan. “There is lots of everything in my garments because I love mix and match,” she adds. So there are many kinds of embroidery, fabric and colours all rolled into one ensemble, fitting quite like a puzzle.

She is heavily inspired by the Mughal period. “History excites me. I love architecture, especially old monuments of Central Asia. I love travelling. I also love literature and poetry. When I read or hear something beautiful, it immediately translates itself into my designs,” she smiles. But at the moment, everything revolves around Bridal Asia.

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An Anjalee & Arjun Kapoor creation

Fabulous fashion. That’s what’s in store for Calcuttans on August 9 and 10. Get yourself an ethnic edge with designs by Sunaina Sood, Priti Meshram Kapoor, Ratnang Singh, Jayshree Kanwat, Elisha W, Ritika Bhasin, Anjalee & Arjun Kapoor, Nidhi Tholia, Azara by Neeraj & Alpana, Meghna K, Neeta Bhargava, Jaya Rathore, Vinita Pittie, Gopi Vaid, Sharda Bhandari, Little Wardrobe, Ekru, Talat Kazmi and Nalanda Bhandari. These labels are touring with Bridal Asia and will start their style journey this year at Calcutta’s Hyatt Regency