Calcutta, Dec. 3: After making her mark on the grand stage of Paris, Ritu Beri has vaulted the Great Wall of China for the second year running.
The first-ever Indian designer to showcase in China enthralled the audience with a showing of her creations at a fashion extravaganza in Beijing today, part of the Made in India show being held there between December 1 and 4.
Organised jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Indian embassy in China, Made in India aims at showcasing Indian brands and products for the benefit of the Chinese trade and industry. The show, first held in October 2003, is the first exhibition of India of its kind in China.
If her ?03 collection comprised western silhouettes, this time she took the fusion route.
?During my show last year I realised that the Chinese people have a lot of interest in Indian clothes. So this time I presented global clothes with an Indian feel. The line I showcased can be worn by women anywhere in the world, but there is an essentially Indian essence to it,? Beri told The Telegraph from Beijing.
?The idea was to make Chinese women realise that even they could wear Indian clothes. So there were pre-stitched saris and jackets and other very easy-to-wear garments,? explained the designer.
Beri mixed Indian fabrics like brocade and tanchoi with lighter materials, leather, tweed and even some Chinese silk. The palette projected a riot of colours in turquoise, red, ochre and gold. The designs were flaunted on the ramp by six Chinese models and six Indian models ? Swareena Singh, Jesse Randhawa, Vidisha Pavate, Viveka Babaji, Sonali Rozario and Tupur Chatterjee.
The show, held at The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing, was attended by a 600-strong crowd comprising ministry officials, senior government personnel and industrialists. The Indian ambassador to China, Nalin Surie, and CII president Sunil Kant Munjal were also present.
?After last year?s show, people were eagerly waiting for it this time. There was a huge demand for invitation cards. The audience just lapped up the show,? Edward Yao, account director, Beijing Trima Consulting & Management Co Ltd, a firm associated with the technical aspects of the show, told The Telegraph.
Sunil Mishra, CII representative in China, agreed: ?The highlight of the show was that the audience was held spellbound. We would like to repeat it next year, but maybe at a different location.?
The show will be followed by a three-day exhibition of Beri?s garments and the ?commercial success? of the collection would decide whether she commits to carry forward her association with the Chinese fashion industry.
?Today afternoon I had a meeting with the president of the Fashion Design Council of China, the man behind the China Fashion Week. There have been several proposals, which I cannot reveal right now. I am negotiating with many big stores here for tie-ups,? was all Beri would divulge.
As for the fashion industry in China, she said: ?It is very young, in fact, younger than the Indian equivalent. But there is a lot of curiosity and the consciousness is growing. I would definitely like to come back with my shows here.?
