Narendra Kumar and Rajdeep Ranawat are the designers for RIVER Season 3, by Amazon Fashion in association with DBS Lifestyle LLP. While both collections are print-based and easy-breezy, they have separate aesthetics and moods. We chatted with the designers to find out more.
The collections look easy-breezy. What kind of a mood board was your reference?
Narendra Kumar and Rajdeep Ranawat: With RIVER
Season 3, we bring in a new palette of colours and styles that will add glamour to every woman’s festive and travel wardrobe. The silhouette for the collection is a statement in ease, with kurtas, dresses, tops and trousers to complete your look for the festive and travel season.
Tell us about the prints.
Kumar: My collection explores the world of contemporary fashion through three alternative trends that dominate the AW 22/23 festive season. It takes you on a journey from the plains of Central Asia to the mountains of Peru, winding up in a boldly told graphic story. The collection will be focused on four stories: Floral Arabesque, Graphic, Paisley and Geometric. This story is told through two main colour themes: yellow, rust, sienna, ochre, nutmeg and earthy pastel; and a return to nature in all its wonder, with greens, teals, blue and sage. We have used eye-catching metaverse-inspired sci-fi themed prints which you can adorn to get the digital avatar in the real world.
Ranawat: My collection Rabari is basically an amalgamation of motifs, cultures and textiles derived from the Rabari tribes of Rajasthan and Kutch. We have used a lot of embroidered motifs right from cholis, ghagras to all the mirror-work, thread embroidery and beadwork. Bandhej and bandhni tie-and-dye motifs have been converted into tribal elements and tribal forms, which are used as prints on the base of the fabric. We’ve also derived motifs from the frescoes of havelis in Rajasthan; artworks on all those havelis have been made into patterns to form the base of this collection.
Narendra Kumar’s collection for RIVER
What are some of your favourite prints of all time?
Kumar and Ranawat: A wide array of prints for occasion, casual and daywear including resort, in terms of graphic, floral, ethnic and metaverse-inspired prints. In short, a print for all tastes.
What are people carrying for travel post the pandemic? Do you see a trend?
Kumar: Comfort clothing is stealing the show in the travel wardrobe. People are carrying clothes based on the season and mood. A woman’s travel suitcase is filled with kurta sets, printed full-length or flowy dresses and skirts, jumpsuits... coloured trousers with tops.
Ranawat: There’s so much excitement in people as they have started travelling again. I have observed travel wardrobes embracing bright hues and minimal and effortless clothing. Loose shirts, casual tops, palazzos and pants, kaftans, kurtas with leggings or jeans are dominating the woman’s fashion trend this travel season.
What are your favourite travel destinations of all time?
Kumar: Rome, where you live with 2,000 years of history every day.
Ranawat: I absolutely love the Montmartre area in Paris on a charming hilltop where history resides and once inhabited by Picasso and Dali with quaint boutiques, cafes and artists sitting around painting the most beautiful portraits and Parisian scenes. An absolute inspiration forever.
Saurabh Srivastava
RIVER for us is the most important yet complicated and complex project. To finally end up with a designer product that falls in a premium price range, with the same quality in design, is not easy. It was necessary for us to partner with individuals who share that same vision and commitment to making designerwear accessible to a larger customer base in the country. This for us was a very important and main criterion. That’s what makes this partnership unique and wonderful. We are really trying to create something unique for the customers, with great value and not compromising on what we deliver. We have been very grateful and fortunate for our designer partners across all three seasons, who have shared the same vision and not just the idea — Saurabh Srivastava, director and head, Amazon Fashion India
