Turning menswear fashionable yet rooted in culture has always been something close to designer Shyamsundar Basu's heart. This 31-year-old designer's eight-year-old brand Raikishori Collections which offers a plethora of ethnic and Indo-Western choices both for men and women has come up with a very gorgeous and vibrant collection of wedding wear for men, called Rituals.
The main highlight of this beautiful line of groom's wear is that Shyamsundar has presented the quintessential classic dhoti in a very vibrant and modern silhouette. "Whenever it comes to dhotis we can only imagine them paired with a Kurta or a punjabi. This time I have created very unusual pairs comprising dhoti and jackets or dhotis and fusion kurtas. Dhoti is a classic clothing and I plan to revive its lost glory by contemporising the looks," explains Shyamsundar.
Rituals has a very vivid and rich palette of blue, white, black, red, yellow and other jewel tones set on natural fabrics like khadi, linen, raw silk, dhakai cotton, pashmina and matka. There are elaborate and exquisite handworks including handstitched motifs related to auspicious rituals like holy scripts and fish.
"Among the various silhouettes, there are very quirky and interesting light shawls, shrugs and jackets with crochet work or fabric paintings and block prints besides faux fur and faux feather jackets and handprinted dhotis. There's also an interesting range of light pashmina shawls in both pastel and bright shades," adds Shyamsundar.
A postgraduate in fine arts from Rabindra Bharati, Shyamsundar, who hails from the coastal district of Midnapore, always wanted to do something in the world of fashion with traditional and heritage weaves from rural Bengal. "I love working with jamdani and dhaki weaves and Benarasi a lot and I believe equally stunning pieces of festive and wedding wear can be created for men too in Benarasi and dhakai weaves," he says.
Though the main focus in this collection is on men, the designer has also some very beautiful silhouettes for women on offer that include saris in Korial Benarasi and a bespoke piece of dhakai sari benarasi apart from the classic designs he is known for.
Currently, the designer is working on his special Benarasi collection for men comprising Benarasi katan jackets, coats and Panjabis which he plans to launch in February. There will also be a different variation of Benarasi saris for women that will have a mix of Hakoba with benarasi and original Chikankari work with Benarasi.
"This winter, you don't always have to combine jackets with jeans, or dhoti with Punjabis and kurtas. Choose to wear your very Western jackets with dhotis for a change to stand out in the crowd. My upcoming summer collection will see a range of silhouettes in traditional gamcha fabric combined with tant," signs off Shyamsundar.