Grandfather's style inspires Woolmark prize winner

Indian fashion designer Suket Dhir, who has won the 2015-2016 Menswear International Woolmark Prize, says his grandfather is the inspiration for his noted collections.

Talking about his inspiration, Dhir told IANS over phone from Florence, in Italy: "My inspiration comes from my grandfather... I think he was an old school dresser. Grandparents' style gets stuck in their young age... they don't change over a period of time...."

The designer added that his grandfather's style "was more of the 1940s and 1950s era, where loose pleated trousers, palazzos and pyjamas were worn along with beautiful elegant shirts and jackets in the winter".

So, Dhir gave the style his own twist and presented six ensembles, consisting of western silhouettes like jackets, trousers, shorts and overcoats, at the menswear trade fair Pitti Uomo in Florence.

The designer used an array of colours inspired by nature for the collection he showcased at the gala on Wednesday evening.

"We picked up hues from blues from the skies and water bodies; and we had beautiful yellows from the mangoes and the mustard. We had wine colour, which comes from mango saplings and colours of the earth. But majorly it was all blues," Dhir said of his award-clinching line.

He has been wished "heartiest congratulations" by Saket Dhankar, head - Fashion, IMG Reliance, who added: "He has made India proud and has put Indian fashion in the spotlight."