That designer Ragini Ahuja was an illustrator before losing herself in the world of fashion is evident in the garments she creates — lots of linear detailing, clean cuts and fuss-free, no-nonsense looks. “I enjoy breaking things down to geometric forms, be it animal motifs, floral prints or any else,” begins Delhi-based Ragini, and adds that her clothes are what she’d like to call, ‘practical luxury.’ Having launched her label Ikai in 2012, Ragini now brings her latest collection, Clan, for Spring Summer 2018, to Collage Shop India.
“I came across this Burmese tribe call Kayan, who live on the Thai-Burmese border. As they were not accepted in their home country, they had to migrate. Their culture and way of life is now part of the tourist trail in Thailand, and I felt that it wasn’t right to use them to attract tourists. So I decided to tell their story and bring awareness about them through this collection,” explains Ragini, whose clients include Shilpa Shetty and Alia Bhatt.
Employing handwoven Chanderi fabric, Ragini has mimicked the Kayans’ traditional weaving technique across the collection, in a colour palette of white, black, ivory, navy and red. “All women of the community weave at home. However, their looms are quite small, so the fabrics are low on width. They create clothes by sewing pieces of cloth together. To reflect this, Clan is heavy on panelling, right from the
kaftans to the side-gather dresses,” shares Ragini.
For Fall 2018, the designer plans to add more pieces to Clan. “The story behind it deserves a longer time frame. So the Fall Winter line will use similar motifs but in new colour ways,” she explains.
Rs.20,000 upwards. At Wood Street