Master couturies Meera and Muzzafar Ali showcased their mesmerising collection in hues of white, silver, grey, gold and black. Kritika Dua talked to them about Art meets Technology, a fashion extravaganza, and launch of Spectre 13
The fashionable evening by Kotwara was a show of timeless aesthetics weaved with contemporary silhouettes. It was an intricate blend of exquisite Awadhi embroidery on modern cuts had an old world charm to it. Kotwara, a label of Meera and Muzzafar Ali showcased a specially designed couture which is inspired by the colours of HP’s thinnest laptop Spectre 13. He designed a special sleeve for this laptop which he fondly referred as tribute within a tribute.
“We are launching something which is truly out of this world, something which is very inspiring and something which is the need of the hour and also need of the future”, said Muzzafar Ali when he launched the company’s new laptop Spectre 13. It’s the world’s thinnest laptop. Ali also said, “Every day we need technology in every way and it has taken a big leap.” Implying how important technology has become in our lives and its growth in recent years, Meera Ali added, “I can’t live without technology and if technology can be made attractive, aesthetic and artistic then why notIJ” This is what Meera and Muzaffar Ali did with Spectre 13. Ketan Patel, director, personal systems business, HP said, “We are launching world’s thinnest laptop and also new logo. As a technology company we push ourselves to better technology day in and day out.” He talked about why there was a need of roping in a designer like Muzzafar Ali in this collaboration and said that there is no meaning of technology without style, “fashion and style quotient has become an important part of technology.”
Muzzafar Ali, painter, filmmaker, designer talked with us in detail about his prestigious label Kotwara where modernity meets old world charm, “The label was born 26 years back and born from special idea Dwar pe rozi (workmanship at home) which will solve many problems of democracy. It will give the villagers a purpose to live in the village and my father, King of Kotwara wanted the villagers to have some form of employment so they don’t suffer due to hunger. It all came together and Kotwara was born.” Meera Ali came together with him to make his passion come to life which is associated with a noble cause. Ali added, “I am a passionate designer and I design things in a detailed manner and my wife, Meera helps me in it. My craft is simple and well crafted.” He points out that both filmmaking and painting is his passion but painting is his first passion. Paintings helps him to create his films, sketch his frames, work out the palette’s and do a lot of things through it.
Design aesthetics according to him is, “It’s arriving at a balance between humanity and aesthetics, a relationship between the wearer and the maker. It’s an interesting balance if the aesthetics are genuine.” His latest collection is inspired by the female form, “I like to see women look beautiful, so I have done that in my films like Umrao Jaan in which I made Rekha look beautiful. How you address beauty of a woman is really the most inspirational part of designing.” He tells us about how has his work evolved since he began, “It’s been an uphill task. The challenges are much greater than they were, marketing is very difficult now and ideas are uncompromising.” He said with pride, “Anybody I design for can become a celebrity and I design for anybody who wants to wear my clothes. I don’t want to put clothes onto people who don’t deserve those clothes.” His advice to young designers is ‘look at the human aspect of fashion.’