Odisha designers give traditional loom a spin for modern bride

Bhubaneswar: Comfort and style hit high fashion at the recently concluded Odisha Wedding Expo here.

City-based designers Harpreet Khalsi and Jyoshna Das showcased designs for the modern bride, keeping the present trend and needs in mind.

Harpreet, who presented her design under the label Zovala, played around with fine works on different fabrics to make a statement, both elegant and stylish.

“The younger generation wants lehenga, which their parents prefer to see them in a saree on the wedding day. Catering to both tastes, I worked on exquisite lehengas with half saree, instead of dupatta, to drape around it and take a pallu,” she said.

Harpreet had earlier worked with renowned fashion designer Ritu Kumar as store head of the latter’s outlet in the city.

Hand works by her ‘karigars’ raise the style quotient in all her designs. “I used zardosi, stones and dabka works on velvet, georgette, net sequenced fabric, brocade and silk for this wedding collection,” she said.

Jyoshna Das delivered on her promise to give Odisha handloom a lehenga look. Her hand-weaved Bomkai choli and lehenga in Sambalpuri silk was a runaway success on the ramp.

Her wedding collection under the label Bivabari included digital print lehenga with zardosi work on the choli, kalamkari patchwork and hand-painted sarees and Sambalpuri frocks.

“This collection is a departure from the norms. Sambalpuri or bomkai patterns are not very popular among brides. I hope to change this with these lehengas,” she said.

Zardosi works in a choli give it a necklace look, she added.

Her design studio, Bivabari, took shape last year with a new concept and designs revolving around Indian textile.

Jyoshna mostly designs clothes keeping the middle-aged women and their body type in mind.