Designer Ranna Gill is continuing the legacy of her signature prints with her latest collections
A trained designer from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Ranna Gill finds inspiration from many places. “It could be the colour of the ocean, the fall colours or the trees and flowers. It could be anything, even a poem. It comes in various forms. You just have to be open enough. I feel designs should have an element of avant garde but have to be wearable at the same time. An outfit is almost like a classic piece of jewellery that you can wear every single day. Wearability, to me, is very important,” says Ranna. Ranna’s elegant silhouettes have always stood for all things modern. With stores in multiple cities across the country and one in New York, Ranna’s eponymous label, which is nearly 25 years old, has fashionable drops lined up every month to suit the sartorial palate of her wide fashion audience. “It’s a lot of R&D research—fabric, prints, cuts, and shapes that go into play and then the collections get made. There’s a whole scientific kind of planning and approach to fashion,” says Ranna, who feels that she has still remained relevant in the world of fashion because she loves what she does. “I never stopped. I had my children to raise, but I still continued with the business of fashion. I almost had my kids at work every day when they were toddlers. It’s a lot of sacrifices, it’s a lot of hard work, you’re in the trenches, working every day, but you’ve got to love the wild ride to win it. To pull out from your soul, something new every season is what keeps me alive even after two decades,” she tells us as she has a heart-to-heart chat with us on the sidelines of the launch of her fourth store in Mumbai.
Tell us about your latest festive edit, Aura, and fall-winter edit, The Urban Prairie.
In Aura, luxury and glamour come together to create a symphony of style. Designed to embody the festive spirit, this collection features rich fabrics, intricate embellishments, and striking silhouettes. Drawing inspiration from the brilliance of festive lights, each piece has intricate embroidery, luxurious fabrics, and thoughtful detailing. The New F/W’24 collection, Urban Prairie is inspired by the captivating interplay between the urban landscape and the beauty of nature. It is designed to capture the essence of modern urban living while embracing the tranquility and allure of nature. The range features an array of versatile pieces that transition seamlessly from day to night, catering to the contemporary individual who thrives in the city yet finds solace in nature. The silhouettes include a selection of day and evening wear like dresses, tops, tunics, co-ord sets, jackets, and bottoms.
Would you ever love to explore the bridal market?
Bridal is a flooded market. What I do, I feel I am still in my own lane. I’m staying in my own lane, and I’m growing in my own lane. I understand my world and my lane really well. I don’t have to be yet another one on that growing list of bridal designers.
How have you treated the evening gown silhouettes this time?
When it comes to gowns, they are fitted. The backs are kind of low. We’ve inserted bra cups, so if she doesn’t want to wear a bra, then that’s on her, but if she wants to, that’s on her too. We’ve kind of made it perfectly fit on her body. It’s long and fitted, almost like a mermaid kind of shape. There’s lots of straps. It’s very evening, luxurious, expensive-looking dresses. The pantsuits too fit really well, great for the New Year’s parties, wedding parties, cocktails, and bridal showers.
What are the colours you have used?
We have oatmeal beige and bright colour florals. We’ve done a lot of neutrals. In pantsuits, especially expensive evening dinner jackets and pants, colours are very important. I wanted to keep them expensive looking and elevated, hence I stuck to more neutral grounds, be it a black, an oatmeal, a silvery grey, or ivory. I like to keep my colours classic.
What are the prints that are in this season from your stable?
I love prints and always work with prints. We do placement prints. Our prints are special and you won’t find what we do around anywhere. They are our labours of love. For this winter-festive season, there’s lots of winter florals, architectural prints. We’ve done one of our prints called Venice. It’s the map of Venice and the water and the boats. One of our other prints is called Almond Montana. They’ re on the Montana mountains. They’re based off the Montana mountains. I can do a print in my sleep. I love them that much.
How do you strike a balance between wearability and creativity?
Experience of being in the business for years helps. I’m not a spring chicken. I didn’t just start designing yesterday. Also, I have people in the company, so we all bounce ideas off each other and I keep an open mind. It’s we who made co-ord sets famous, creating them some three years ago in my design room. So, we balance creativity with a little bit of newness, a little bit of strength from what’s been going, a little bit of experience, a little bit of ideas from everybody else, and market survey.
What are the ways you include sustainability?
It’s very widely interpreted, some interpreted in economic way, while others stress on the wearability or timelessness of the cloth.
Do you feel like wearing other brands?
I don’t. I mean, why? I have been wearing my creations since I started off. I was out last night with a bunch of friends and I was wearing my jacket. I got so many compliments. I have never been tempted to wear anybody else. But maybe I wear denim because I don’t do denim yet. But otherwise, I love my products. I wear all my dresses and jackets. I have 50 jackets and I wear them all the time. I wear my blouses. I have 50 wide-leg pants and so many dresses.
Your fashion icon?
I like Anna Wintour. She’s an older lady, but so elegant, and she‘s the head of the church in our fashion world. Back home, it’s Sonam Kapoor, she’s very fashionable, gorgeous, and she definitely moves the needle when she wears something.
One wardrobe essential for any globetrotting woman.
A jacket for sure. You just have to own a few, and you just have to buy into them. It is sustainable, because you will use them non-stop.
What will your spring-summer 24 collection outline be like?
It will be so pretty. We’ve already made it. It’s beautiful. We will launch it at the end of January. It’s lovely, sweet, and very global. The prints are beautiful, the colours are loving. Every month, we have new drops, we have Cypress prints, we have globe prints, and we have fruits and flowers.