A designer known for his sense and style, James Ferreira has revitalised his designs with time. By Kritika Dua
You could call it a Grecian evening with flowing drapes as models sashayed down the ramp to show how you can make a fashionable statement even on the beach.
The genius couturier on blending western silhouettes with Indian elements, James Ferreira, says, “My clothes are based on draping, be it of a sari or a lungi and if you open any of my garments, it becomes a piece of cloth. My clothes are basically made with Indian technique of draping and a little bit of Japanese origami. But, what I achieve is a very comfortable silhouette anybody can wear. I design wearable clothes.”
Talking about his resort wear collection showcased at the ninth edition of India Runway Week, Ferreira says, “The organic cotton range is made out of cheese cotton or crepe cotton. It’s an old Indian fabric and has sort of a crinkled effect. It is inspired by the resorts and the beaches of India. After that, I showcased the pleated collection with permanent pleating. I kind of moulded it into a way that the body got shaped and used the body shape to make designs. The third collection was all about satin and crepe. It had plain colours and that was what I was talking about – it looks perfect with Indian jewellery. My final collection had the interplay of black and gold. Along with sophisticated embroidery, surface texturing and diamonds. There were ghagras having metallic embroidery with t-shirts.”
He shares his design aesthetics: “I don’t indulge in an overdose of embroidery and concentrate on cutting. I cut everything myself. My clothes are best worn with beautiful Indian traditional jewellery. What happens is the ladies wear heavy ghagra cholis and jewellery on top of it. The jewellery doesn’t stand out with all the bling. But, my clothes are made in such a way that a lady can wear her jewellery and proudly flaunt it with the outfit. The dress compliments it.”
He wants to make clothes as simple and elegant as possible which he accomplishes by using natural fibres such as cotton, silk, viscose and hemp among others. To keep the outfit flowing, so it can be worn by people of all sizes. Every designer takes inspiration from something to create exquisite designs. He says, “My inspiration has always been an Indian woman. Someone who has curves and is not model-like slim. lovely ladies from India with a fuller figure, these are the clients which best suit my clothes.”
Many designers are coming out with what they term as resort wear. But Ferrara defines it. “The most crucial thing a resort wear garment should have is comfort. It has to be in natural fibres as usually, resorts are hot. It should be comfortable for the wearer and it should make them feel good.” The designer’s clothes are not uncomfortable but flowing with sharp contemporary cuts, a staple which was also seen in his latest collection. If one is comfortable in the clothes they are wearing, one will naturally be confident and content.
Ferreira has been a designer for 45 years and he spends most of his time giving back to the younger generation through teaching. He teaches at a lot of colleges in India on – fashion with Indian aspects. He bases the lectures on salwars, kurta, churidar and choli. He says, “All the western cutting comes down to India as it all started with churidar and choli.”
The ‘king of drapes’ talks about the new elements in the Resort wear collection, “All my satin dresses have new and interesting drapes. These are the newly cut clothes, I have cut and given shape to. I always try to do something different from the previous time.” He doesn’t compete with anyone else but himself.
Talking about hypocrisy in the fashion Industry, Ferrara says he is unaffected. “That’s why I think I am not a very famous designer as most of the people in the industry are just there for the money. I don’t take part in play politics that why I don’t get a finale or a sponsored show. I don’t make friends with the right people which is a disadvantage. But, I consider it more of an advantage as it provides me with more freedom.”
One thing he would want to change about the fashion industry is to teach the fashion designers to do their own cutting, to be better friends with karigars and embroidery men. He feels that without their efforts they wouldn’t be designers and the designers should give more respect to the people they work with. He makes a valid point, “There are several design schools but no place to train karigars, cutters and tailors. How can any industry survive if you don’t train the support staffIJ”
He also said that though there are prestigious fashion institutes still there aren’t many designers who have made it big internationally.
The golden era of fashion according to Ferreira is, “The era of Rajas and Maharajas. Those were the true couture clothes, made of the most expensive fabrics with pure gold and silver embroidery done on them.”
The fashion trend he admires is the usage of saris in various ways and that it can be worn in 108 different ways. The fashion trend he abhors is the overuse of embroidery. It’s a challenge for the designer to stay relevant, adapting the designs with changing times, to make the clothes young and trendy keeping the James Ferreira style intact. In times when everyone looks for the west to seek inspiration from, Ferreira advises young designers to stay rooted and seek inspiration from the country itself. “Keep it simple, use natural fabrics, be guided by the fabric and India. I think we have to go back to our past to reinvent our designs.”