A model in a Kenzo outfit

Dilapidated Baruipur and decrepit Baulia are Calcutta?s best calling cards for Paris fashion. Even as we celebrate our designers making it big in Europe, the best of French fashion could be coming to town, but only to use ?colonial? Calcutta as a backdrop for its new collections.

Kenzo, a premier fashion house in Paris and a leading global brand, might be flying down to the city in the next couple of weeks to capture snapshots of its latest line.

Scouting has already started in and around Calcutta to find suitable backdrops for the reputed designer label, known worldwide for its combination of simple cuts and bold palettes, ethnic influences and floral patterns.

But why Calcutta of all places? Says city-based textile designer Rumi Biswas, Kenzo?s contact person here: ?They want a British colonial look, which has been invaded by nature, to go as a backdrop for their new designs. They may even be looking at other parts of India and in other countries to find such old buildings that symbolise the old world destroyed by natural forces.?

The city, however, is in with a good chance for being selected as the new theme territory for the label started 35 years ago by Japan?s Takada Kenzo.

The list of local sites sent for foreign review makes for an interesting mix ? the raasher maath and shason of Baruipur, buildings behind Madhuban cinema in Tollygunge, East India Company buildings in south Calcutta and the 380-year-old house in Baulia where Chokher Bali was shot.

?There are some interesting buildings in Hazra, too, but since there is not much space around them, they do not apply,? says Bishwajit Das, a local production manager helping out with the recce. ?Baulia is best suited for the shoot, as it also has these old natmandirs and scenic gardens.?

For designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh, the Kenzo move just reinstates Calcutta?s tradition and heritage. ?It?s a great thing that a label like Kenzo is choosing our city. Too many people are into new things and so they are going for something that represents the old. Also, this can be a reaction to the destruction and holocaust that?s happening around us.?

If Calcutta is selected, Kenzo, the master mixer of Oriental and Occidental, will not only fly down its high-profile fashion photographers to the city but also bring along designers and models.