Designing menswear can be fun: Dubai-based Indian designer (Interview)

Contrary to the belief that designing menswear has limited options and one can just experiment with restricted cuts and patterns, Dubai-based Indian-origin designer Varoin Marwah says one can play around a lot of variety in male costumes.

"It's a myth when people say that menswear designs are very limited. If one looks at it, (the) same holds true for women. It is one and the same thing, but if we can play differently with womenswear lines why can't we also do so for men's clothing," Marwah told IANS in an interview.

The designer recently showcased at India Resortwear Fashion Week 2014, his debut on the Indian runway. His designs reflected the romantic side of men in the forms of shorts and jackets in bright pastels.

Marwah said that his collection gave a fair idea to all those men who want to dress up differently for holidays and parties.

"There were varieties of shorts with jackets in my collection and that's exactly what I wanted to introduce to the market. I want to give a message to all those men who think that they can't walk out in shorts and jackets. Such outfits can also look glamorous if worn differently," he added.

The inspiration behind the collection was also unique.

"This collection almost took me three months and it started while I was holidaying in the Caribbean, where I saw romantic couples who were just having a great time. I just noticed that there is a need for men to realise that they also need to dress up for the occasion. With this line, I just wanted to show the softer side of men," he said.

A graduate of New Delhi's JD School of Fashion Design, he started designing at the age of 18 and has runway and print modelling experience for various well-known designers such as Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra and Tarun Tahiliani.

Marking the debut of his Varoin Marwah label at the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) 2012 in Dubai, his collection took inspiration from the trendy and hip styles of Bollywood. Soon after the debut, the designer was exposed to the international market as he was asked to open the Cayman Islands Fashion Week in April 2013.

He is grateful for his journey in the fashion industry so far.

"With making my debut in IIFA, I don't think I could have asked for a better platform. For anybody new to this profession, there is a lot of competition and you don't get into the market that easily. I would consider myself very blessed to have my debut show at such a huge platform but that comes with price as you are not allowed to make mistakes," he said.

Marwah's signature style subtly draws from his Indian roots and is an amalgamation of clean lines, careful detailing and international silhouettes.

So what does fashion mean to him?

"Fashion to me is a state of my mind and all the stories in it. At times, it gets dictated by all the people I meet in my day-to-day life. Like all of them, my designs have layers, complexities and art and are not restricted to any one colour. It is timeless, yet time-bound. It is forever changing," said Marwah, whose next dream is to style up megastar Amitabh Bachchan as for him he is the biggest style icon in the industry.

(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)