Sari from the Garland collection
Sanjay Garg is no stranger to the Koyambedu flower market. This is a must see place when visiting Chennai. She loves flowers, jasmine being her favorite. It’s no surprise that the store in Chennai – which was launched in 2002 – is called Malligai.
Inspiration
And now, the Koyambedu flower market is the inspiration for the Raw Mango Festive 2024 collection titled Garland. “I like to pick the flowers myself,” says the designer, who buys flowers from the market in the morning for his show. He then walked in the “shower” at 6 in the morning, marveling at the garland. “If you create a line with a wreath in the center of the theme, then you need to understand, know what flowers and leaves are used, how they are woven. To draw inspiration from anything, people need to be careful and sensitive to their surroundings. This observation informs my design ,” he said. Attention to detail is important to him.
Sanjay Garg
A few hours later, he stormed into the Museum Theater (venue for his fashion show), looking victorious, with a bagful of fresh jasmine. He handed it over to his team, who quickly got to work. In between preparing the place for the evening, he sat down and shared photos of the garlands from Koyambedu. “Garlands have a sculptural quality. You don’t see craftsmanship like this in a fine flower shop. How do you put this together?” he said pointing to the thick yellow and green sick.
“They can be interpreted in different forms – this one looks like a human form, and this one looks like a temple,” he said, swiping past photos. He then jumped up from his seat and brought a leaf. “The smell,” he said as he handed me basil, sage, and marikozhundu. “It’s so fragrant, I add it to the armrests of every chair here,” he said.
The color palette includes purple, pink, green, and yellow
Sanjay likes to do things differently. “I don’t like standard things. That’s why I’d rather stay in a club than a five-star hotel, they have a life. Similarly, I chose the Museum Theater because of its many characters,” said Sanjay. Over the years he has chosen unconventional places as a venue for his performances – a mall parking lot in Mumbai, the Royal Opera House also in Mumbai, a forest road near Bengaluru, a wrestling stadium in Delhi… Next, he says he will host a show house in a library or a train station… “I’m not a fashion person, I look at fashion design, art and culture as a whole. So, my focus during the show is not only on the clothes but on every element related to the show including space, music , view,” he said.
Event
At the Raw Mango Festive 2024 Fashion Show organized by FICCI FLO, a man dressed in white, sitting on a cane muras (a traditional circular bench), took center stage. This is three generations from one hundred (snake charmer) from Rajasthan. When the curtain goes up, people play already and shoppingand this forms the background music for the model. This is pure, raw music, with no electronic interference. Although charming at first, by the end of the 19-minute show, the music started to get a little overbearing.
The models weaved their way through the aisles of the Museum Theater in the latest Raw Mango collection paired with festive jewelery by Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers.
A model displays festive pieces by Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers
The Raw Mango Garland Collection is bright and shiny, almost like fireworks lighting up the night sky. Featuring single capes, saris, kurtas, and blouses in silk brocade, organza and tissue. Each motif is in the form of zardosi, tiki, nakshi, zari or thread embroidery.
If you look closely, you can see a lotus pattern, rajnigandha or sprouts from mogra entwined together forming a serpentine maala the width of the sari. Another piece is ruched at the bottom to give the appearance of strung garlands, and this is sealed with dabka embroidery. Taking a cue from the layering in the floral arrangement, the layering here has zardosi, tiki and nakshi embroidery on top of the brocade garland motif. And all this in the trademark Raw Mango vibrant pink, green, yellow, purple hues. With some kurtas, the shade transitions from light to dark like in the petals where you see one color fuse into another, explains Sanjay.
Sweet 16
Raw Mango 16 this year. But despite his success, Sanjay says he has never felt a sense of accomplishment. “There’s a lot to do. I’m restless. I think time is running out.”
Sanjay has stores in six cities, with a seventh opening in Kolkata soon. He wants to bring the brand to other cities, including Tier 2 cities. However, he will continue to make one collection every year. “I don’t believe in seasons or trends. What you see is me expressing my situation. I can be inspired when I’m happy, angry, sad… and I can’t be limited by seasons.”
Published – 25 September 2024 17:14 IST
