Kirti Rathore spreading wings beyond India

Preparing for her upcoming shows in Hong Kong (a trunk show), Lawman Page 3 (a 26 cities tour), Udaipur International Fashion Week and an EPIC show on Mahatma Gandhi, designer Kirti Rathore is a busy woman. Popular for her men’s breaches, bandhgala, hunter shirts and sherwanis, Rathore says, “India

being a country with diversified culture offers many choices. People abroad are more formal in their approach, whereas we create lots of trends within the country due to our varied culture.” The designer is now looking at spreading her wings globally, while strengthening her domestic presence.

Designer’s

closet for the season

For the upcoming Spring/Summer season, Rathore has re-introduced Nehru jackets and blazers along with bandhgalas in linen and hunter shirts in jute. The range also includes of smart shirts in pastel shades and prints. “Nehru jackets are back in fashion as they can be teamed with a nice shirt or even a kurta. The baggy look for bottoms, give a comfort feel,” exclaims the designer.

Rathore’s collection includes bandhgala, blazers, sherwanis, breaches and Nehru jackets. She is now working on inventing blazers that could be turned into bandhgalas, so that they can be used as both formal and casual wear. She also plans to introduce shirt jackets for the smart summer look.

Rathore’s collection is available in Kolkata and Pune. Elaborating on the retail expansion plans, she says, “We plan to open more stores globally in places like Dubai apart from opening a store in Mumbai soon. Export is a good option for us, since we have a large base in Europe, Middle East where a vast Indian community is present.”

She has also worked on designs for movies like Bol Bachan and actors like Vivek Oberoi, Ajay Devgan, Amitabh Bhachan for KBC. She would soon be working on a new film project with producer Boney Kapoor.

Rathore’s journey so far

“Being from an orthodox royal family coming into fashion wasn’t an easy decision. I started off with just one second hand machine and one tailor in one room in 2007 designing men’s wear and my work got me appreciation. I gradually opened my first showroom in 2012 in Jaipur and now have franchises in Kolkata, Pune, with many top national and international shows under my belt,” avers Rathore.

Her work has won her many accolades like the ‘DNA Women of Substance’ award, ‘The Proud Beti Of Rajasthan’ title, ‘Kalpana Chawla Award’, ‘Pratika Women of Substance’ award and many more. She was also featured in the famous coffee table Book of India.