Pria to highlight valley’s pain

Designer Pria Kataria Puri is taking up the cause of the people of Kashmir at a special culture

festival in Geneva this November. She’s the only Indian designer selected to do so. Pria, a half-Kashmiri, plans to showcase her collection based on the local tilla (gold embroidery) of the valley. Her family owns hotels in Pahalgam and Pria hopes to keep alive the influences she has imbibed in Srinagar during her growing up years. She has been encouraging local craftsmanship over time. Her family supports an orphanage in Pahalgam, which imparts vocational training. She’s hoping to bring the world’s attention to the valley’s tourism and craftsmanship, which have been disrupted leading to loss of livelihood.

She’s convinced that a serious stand needs to be taken and Indians must sit collectively to resolve the issue and not relent to the fact that Kashmir belongs to India. Pria Kataria Puri has had formal training in fashion. She’s totally dedicated to Occidental Couture, which is an amalgam of oriental and western ideas. Her collection is sensuous with elegant silhouettes, luxurious feminine fabrics, teamed with rustic color palette, intricate and exquisite hand embroidery. She uses a lot of hand trappings in wool threads along with mirror work, shells, beads, embroidery etc. Her designs are modern in form and Indian in mode of expression. The winner of the Bharat Yuva Ratna Award and the Bharat Vikas Award believes it is her moral obligation to keep India’s ancient heritage of fine craftsmanship alive rather than just make outfits.