Fashion Friday Feature: Suneet Varma

Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events!  #FashionFriday posts feature an Indian Fashion Designer, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. Continuing with our series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani, today we will feature Indian Fashion Designer, Suneet Varma, and his claim to fame.

Early Years

Suneet Varma was born into a family of bankers and lawyers but knew from a very young age that he wanted to pursue a career in the creative arts. He graduated from the  London School of Fashion in 1986 and worked with Nicole Farhi in London and Yves Saint Laurent before launching his own label in India.

Design Aesthetic

Varma describes his style as elegant, glitzy, and super glamourous. His signature is his ability to create ensembles in silhouettes close to the body with minimal use of fabrics, although he loves to embellish his designs with appliques, sequins and crystals. In fact, his generous use of crystals on his garments led Swarovski to name Varma “the largest consumer of crystals in India in recent years”. Of this, Varma said, “If somebody wants shine and glamour and the innovative use of crystals, then they should come to me.”

The Suneet Varma Woman

Varma’s ideal woman is a bit of a contradiction. He likes women to exude old world glamour and sophistication but designs with a younger, modern women in mind. “The ideal client is women in their late twenties or early thirties and onwards. This is when women come into their own, discover their positive attributes and confidently use them to enhance their looks and personalities.” His clients known as Varma-nistas come to the designer for his eclectic range of colors, three-dimensional embroidery, intricate details and of course lots of sparkle.

Judith Leiber Collaboration

Suneet Varma scored one of the most prestigious collaborations with a Western brand, the first ever by an Indian designer, when he partnered with luxury hand bag designer Judith Leiber. The “Suneet Varma for Judith Leiber” collection fuses Indian craftsmanship with Western design. The handbags from this collection have been carried by Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and Sarah Jessica Parker among others. Take a look at the “Suneet Varma for Judith Leiber” collection.

Breaking Records

For Vogue Magazine’s Fashion’s Night Out in September 2010, Suneet Varma created a one of a kind sari measuring 55 meters long and 45 meters wide that eventually went on to become the world’s longest embroidered sari. It took 10 weeks for Suneet and his team of eight designers and 55 artisans to complete the silk georgette sari which tells the enchanted tale of Draupadi. Suneet used various techniques like applique of satin printed patchwork, hand sequin embroidery, mirror work, threadwork in aari, and ribbon flowers to decorate the sari.

A Day in the Life of Suneet Varma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTyh5pLw7XY&feature=relmfu

Image Credit: Vogue.In

 

Check out our Facebook Page for more pictures from Suneet Varma’s Collection.