The recently concluded Bangalore Fashion Week took me by pleasant surprise. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to it during these four years of its existence, perhaps because I didn’t have this blog back then. But this time I’m glad to not have missed it – apart from the splendid garments there was a line of mesmerizing bags by Rwitti Roy from her eponymous label – Rwiti™ (spelt with a single ‘t’).
Rwitti is currently based out of Indiana, USA but her tryst with designing began closer home, in Kolkata and dates back to the 1990s. That’s when she and her mother set up a boutique where she had first hand experience, interacting directly with the craftsmen and being up close with various art forms. Rwitti then went on to do her Masters in Comparative Literature followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising & Public Relations. She had a prosperous career, working both in US and India. But her true calling lay elsewhere and ultimately she revived her dormant love for design by floating her own label in 2012 specializing in handbags.
Rwitti’s most distinguishing aspect is that she is a self-taught designer. No professional training whatsoever – now that’s what we call ‘born genius’. She draws her inspiration from everything she has been influenced by: India – tradition, West – a global outlook and Art/Folk – from the artisan craftsmen. Her design philosophy in her own words:
Great designs should affect your senses and your emotions. They should excite you visually and urge you to touch, feel, embrace and luxuriate. But most importantly make you fall in love. My designs aim to create a multi-sensorial experience. And tell a story… one that evokes emotions, tells of amazing cultures and transports you places.
Multi-sensorial indeed – each element of her bags strikes a chord at various levels – the color combinations, the colors themselves, the fabrics, the genuine leather, textures and the beautiful blend of art, culture and the backdrop of western contours. The modern woman would relate to her bags at once. What I particularly like is that she keeps embellishments to a minimum and lets the craftsmanship, textures and colors be the cynosure. Rwitti so far sold in USA and the Virgin Islands, but she has already caused a stir in the Indian market through her remarkable BFW debut and her designs have been embraced with open arms.
Abhinaya, her latest collection, presents glimpses from the Indian classical dances along with traditional motifs. These are priced in the range of INR 3,000 to INR 8,000. There is so much to Indian art and such talented designers reinvent it in their own unique way. Kudos to Rwitti for taking the creative route to showcase ancient Indian traditions on an international platform and making it big from the word go. She is in talks with stores to stock her wares soon. But in this digital age, you can easily satisfy your yearning by contacting on her FaceBook Page or through her website.
All images belong to Rwiti™ and have been reproduced here with permission.
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