Talking To Pria Kataaria Puri On Fashion

Ace Fashion designer Pria Kataaria Puri has a close and personal chat with Boldsky.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What is your educational background?

I was born in Delhi and studied partly in New Delhi and San Francisco. I entered into the world of Fashion by earning formal training from a polytechnic in New Delhi and from FIDM, San Francisco, where I showcased my first collection of Occidental evening wear at the San Francisco Fashion Centre. My work was first recognized there. I gained an instant fame and popularity with my first collection itself. Later, I was invited to India. At that time there were only 2 big couture boutiques in India- Signature in New Delhi and Ensembles in Mumbai where my talent was discovered. Presently, I shuttle between Mumbai and middle-east that is, Kuwait.

Do you feel your formal fashion education prepared you for working in the fashion industry?

It was actually a fifty-fifty situation. Yes it did helped me but not to a large extent. In any industry, experience counts more than just education. And this is what I have learnt from, my trial and errors.

How would you define your city's fashion?

Mumbai, I would say is a very glamorous city and people here have a very glam style-statement. I think Bollywood has the highest influence on city's fashion.

Where do you get inspiration for your designs?

There are a lot of things that inspire me. The places which I travel, history, past era all of these are a source of inspiration for my designs. Even tradition and culture influences me a lot and my designs.

Middle East women too enthuse me to a large extent. They have a very different style statement.

What are some of your accomplishments as a designer?

I don't take my accomplishments seriously. My motto is to design something innovative, interesting and unique.

Lot of designers says that, I am the most professional designer in India. That I would call as one of my biggest accomplishment.

Also, when I started of as a designer, my biggest aim was taking Indian fashion to a global level. I wanted India to be known for its fashion. And I think I have accomplished that. People abroad look up to Indian fashion.

What do you wish people would understand about working in the fashion industry?

Fashion has a lot of fluff in it but don't get blinded by that as it's just on the surface. In reality, the fashion business requires a tremendous amount of hard work. People feel that it's just the world of glitz and glamour. But in actuality, 70% of the time it's just hard work and hard work.

Who are some of your favorite designers?

Christian Larquox was one of my favorite designers of that time. Presently, I like Tom Fords and from Indian designers, I really love Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and Rohit Bal's collection.

What do you like best about designing clothes?

I love designing prints and that is what I am also known for. I like the colours I put in. I create a woman in my imagination that is extremely strong and elegant. My vision of dynamic women is what reflects in my designs. My clothes are not for faint hearted. It's for someone who is confident, bold and can carry themselves well.

What trends do you see being big for 2013?

Monochromatic colours. Lot of blacks and whites will be seen. Lot of resort wears as people want easy comfortable clothes. Geometric, florals, graphic geometric prints will also be in trend. Moreover, 2013 will be seeing a mixture of feminine and masculine clothes that define every new aged woman of today.