B'wood important in taking Indian textiles forward: Ritu Kumar

Veteran designer Ritu Kumar says Bollywood stars can be a great influence in promoting Indian textiles globally.
The designer, who presented her off-beat collection, 'Hip Hop Baroque', inspired by the music genre of hip-hop, said the reach of the Tinseltown is mindblowing.
"Bollywood is one of the biggest influencers in the fashion space and the reach is unparallelled. They play an important role in taking Indian textiles forward," Kumar told PTI in an interview.
Taapsee Pannu was the showstopper for the designer's label and Kumar said she chose the actor because of her "spunky" nature.
"She is known for her joie de vivre and this collection is about street style. A huge audience and the youth who are also the consumers of the brand look up to her as a fashion and fitness icon."

Kumar said she chose the genre as she wanted to explore the "subcultures" which she had not analysed before.

"The collection is a blend of street couture and rap culture. It is inspired by the rebellious spirit of the past subcultures and re-contextualised to feel fresh and original.
"The '90s DIY punk references are juxtaposed with hip-hop style to create looks that are simultaneously retro and contemporary," she added.
The clothing line, which is a part of Kumar's Autumn- Winter collection, included pleated skirts and long dresses with ruffle detailing.
The colour palette was a combination of contrasts with black, blue, and metallic interspersed with ecru, baby pink and ochre on handloom sequins.

The models walked to the beats of hip hop which graduated from slow ones to swanky and electric.