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Dressing up Indian beauties

Esther Williams meets Hemant Trivedi, the designer who creates masterpieces fit for a queen

Hemant with Aishwarya and (right) in Sri Lanka recently

Hemant Trivedi's biggest contribution to Indian fashion is perhaps the spectacular designs worn by the Indian beauty queens. The stunning wardrobes he has crafted not only look gorgeous but also define the personality of the wearer.

Aishwarya Rai who won the Miss World title in 1994 came to him very much an amateur and her first show was as his model. "She became my muse! She has always inspired me to design in a particular way," he says. Hemant thinks that a design should reflect the true essence of each woman's inner and outer beauty.

"I like designing clothes for an individual, to make her look more elegant than she feels, more sexy than she feels, without revealing too much flesh. Wearing it she should feel really special - like a million bucks!"

The first male to ever graduate from the West Australian Institute of Fashion Design, Perth, 20 years ago, his career of teaching fashion design started at age 18 - at the SNDT Women's University, Mumbai.

At a time when there were no design initiatives in this part of the world, he was the only trained designer exposed to international trends. The designers he has trained are today the biggest names in Indian fashion.

In Sri Lanka for the JD Institute of Fashion Technology annual awards ceremony last week he was guest of honour and gave away the 'Hemant Trivedi' award. "Fashion was initially a domain of the west. It was gradually recognized by places like Japan and then China and much later India. Can Sri Lanka be far behind?” he asks. "It shouldn't be difficult for a manufacturing country to turn into designing. Sri Lanka has so much talent - somebody needs to expose this talent to the west and more importantly, to its neighbouring countries."

When the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) was formed in New Delhi, India, under the guidance of NIFT, New York, Hemant was the first designer selected to train in New York. Hemant chose to work in India. "Being an Indian, I would like to show the world India's great fabrics and craftsmanship," says he of his designs that are a fusion of east and west.

His creations have become trendsetters. From the silvery silk jersey encrusted with diamante crystals and black pearls that Nafisa Joseph showed off to perfection for the Femina Miss Universe pageant in Miami in 1997, the resplendent red gown that Lara Dutta recently wore to win the Miss Universe 2000 and the stunning gown that Aishwarya Rai wore when she won the Miss World title, he's designed them all.

How does this versatile designer go about creating a costume? A good designer should be able to create individual single pieces to suit the personality of the wearer. "That is the greatest gift of a designer." He takes the example of bridal wear where a designer can make a customized outfit to make a person look special on the great day.

Though currently on a kind of sabbatical, he is still actively involved with the Femina/Times of India group that trains the Miss India contestants to include - grooming, make-up, hairdo and choreography.

Hemant was one of eight designers selected from across the globe to represent India at Igedo '96, the biggest fashion fair in the world held in Dusseldorf where he presented his unique collection - Vedic mode. He was given a standing ovation.

Physical appearance has never been more important. Although men would not admit it, they are like peacocks and want to look good and to do so today, use cosmetics and the gym more frequently. "If they tell you that they wore the first thing that their hand touched in their cupboard, they are lying. If their hair looked messed up, it has been planned to look that way."

Known for both haute couture and pret-a-porter, which is the more realistic, ready to wear line, he says, "With haute couture, you can't really bend towards commerce." So he thinks it important for all designers to also be able to create clothes that people can buy off the peg. He is, however, sought after more for the special occasion.

Having come this far, what are his personal goals? "World recognition without losing my sensibilities," he says. To date his work has been presented in UK, USA, China, Egypt, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and the Far East, his label having outlets in Australia, US and the Caribbean islands.

A few years ago Hemant was chosen by the Miss World Foundation to design costumes for all the contestants in the pageant. For that particular pageant, he was also a judge.

Today, Hemant works with Sheetal, a leading fashion store in India.
The most recent reason for being in the news was the near-fatal automobile accident he was involved in. While on his way to the airport, Hemant met with a car crash that kept him in the ICU of a Mumbai hospital for two weeks. His recovery seems unbelievable.

Hemant recalls that he was in Sri Lanka 15 years ago to do a fashion show at the Taj Samudra. When one of his models fell ill, it was Otara Chandiram who stepped in. Since then he has worked with her several times in shows in Mumbai and other cities.
"Sri Lanka is a place I will visit at the drop of a hat. I'm completely hooked! It is such a good place to be in. It is a land with so much diversity - I want to come back for every special occasion."

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