Bengaluru designer Latha Puttanna draws inspiration from Rangoli for her 30th anniversary collection

In the fast-paced city life of Bengaluru, designer Latha Puttanna prefers taking things in the slow lane. This preference for slow life is reflected in her designs. Interestingly, the year 2022 holds a special place as her label completes 30 years in business. And to celebrate the milestone, she has come out with her latest collection called Rangoli.

Inspired from the south Indian rangoli, a common floor art drawn at the entrance of every house, this collection shows how simple designs can work wonders. "The rangolis come together with a series of dots...they are so simple but give such a wonderful final design," says Puttanna, adding, "Rangoli signifies prosperity and joy. That’s what I want to offer people in my collection."

The collection has heavy usage of pink, lilac and peach. "I personally don't own many outfits in these shades, but these are colours that have traditionally ruled a  woman’s closet. I have also used a lot of Rajasthani Gotta work (a type of Indian embroidery) which is the first time I am trying out in my collection," says Puttanna, adding that she has also tried to keep the prices affordable (Rs 7,000-11,000). 

In a career spanning three decades, she has always worked with Indian fabrics. Her first show was in 1992 with just 100 pieces and there was no stopping after that. "Fashion designing was a profession that was like a hobby that turned into a profession. This was without any formal training. My muse was Indian handlooms which are very versatile in nature. Since I was good at illustration, it worked out well," says Puttanna, who decided to take it seriously after family and friends started appreciating her designs. 

Calling the '90s a golden period for designs, she says, "That's the time when masters or the tailors used to work out of passion rather than look at it as a profession. There was no pressure of monetising work. This gave a lot of time and space for artistes to be at his/her creative best," she says.

For her collections, which have been worn by actors like Taapsee Pannu, Puttanna has been careful about usage of fabric. "Sustainability is quite a term now but I have been practising it early-on. My collections were planned in such a way that there was no surplus and no wastage of fabric. If any pieces are left behind, we customise it into something else," adds Puttanna.  

It might have been thirty years in the field of fashion designing, but Puttanna believes she has had the most important learning during this pandemic. "Sometimes, you should just enjoy the simple joys of life and the art of giving," she adds.