Ripples of success across the seas
View(s):Swishing floor-length drapes arranged over a glove-fit jacket. Throwing a bikini into the equation seems as mismatched a combination as the concept’s creators- Shivan and Narresh started out. This Delhi based designer duo’s swimwear label however, marrying traditional modesty with swimwear saw them dream up their ‘bikini-saree.’ Having had collections in swimwear festivals in Miami, Shivan and Narresh were a hotly awaited presence at CFW Swim
Shivan
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the pair who met at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Delhi. “That’s a long story,” Narresh laughs, talking of how two fashion students with different approaches to the subject came together to launch their label in 2009. From headstrong classmates who never shared a point of view, to working on vintage swimsuits for ‘The Life Of Pi’ the two disclose that they came to Sri Lanka without lofty expectations. “There tends to be a sense of forced glamour,” Narresh feels of fashion festivals in the region, partly owed to the put-on or borrowed nature of a life-style that is being celebrated.
“We started entering European swimwear competitions” he says, adding that the added bonus of travelling was an attraction for the travel buffs. Before long they managed to win scholarships to study fashion in Europe. Collaborating with big names in the fashion world “there was always a push for us to go back to India and start there,” Narresh recalls.
Working with global beach wear brands like Havaianas, the two realized that there was a market for top end hydro-friendly apparel in the coastal destinations back home in India. Designing with the body-conscious, Indian woman “who may feel left-out when it comes to swimwear,” drapes and multi-purpose shawls are very much a part of their label’s ethos. “It all comes down to body confidence,” Narresh explains adding that this wasn’t abundant among their 30-50-year-old clientele. So they were compromising either comfort or modesty for style while trying to fit into European size charts.
Narresh
Skin-baring cut-outs and retro-tinged styles have become their signature to which modesty doesn’t come as a cost. “We still keep our identity,” he feels, while affording a relevant take on resort wear.
Their cruise and resort collection for 2015-16 was inspired by the painter Henri Rousseau. Depicting Rousseau’s flat colour schemes, burnt oranges and peaches, their models danced on to the CFW ramp in vivid prints inspired by foliage and animals. In their first outing in Sri Lanka, Shivan and Narresh’s fresh perspective pushed the envelope on the traditional concept of what swimwear should look like.