Design it right

Bibi Russell’s professional calendar has been choc-a-bloc all year.
She was most recently at the film festival in Spain, where Antonio Banderas wore her gamcha while receiving the Lifetime Achievement award for acting. But there was more to her Spain tour. The goodwill ambassador of UNESCO attended a conference on millennium goals set by the UN in Cuenca, Spain.In between overseas shows and appearances, the designer will find time to pay Bangalore, “one of her favourite Indian cities”, a visit. The show here will mark her return to India after a year-and-a-half. “This will be my third visit to Bangalore. I’m always happy to visit the city. The people are nice and happy. I receive immense encouragement and energy from them,” says Bibi.
Not one to repeat her collection, she’s got a brand new set for Bangalore. And this time, she’s broken norms. For the first time in her career, Bibi is putting together a black-and-white collection for Bangalore. Only accessories — recycled bags, sandals, running shoes, necklaces and bangles (including her trademark hyacinth bangles) — will add a dash of colour to break the monotone. She has around 10 days to complete the collection in cotton, recycled terracotta silk yarn, organic fibre and silk. The clothes, which she describes as “youthful and funky”, will have the famous rickshaw art on them and the models will walk to the rhythm of Bengali folk music by Lalan Fakir. The inspiration for a colourless collection came from visiting museums and looking through old black-and-white pictures. “Old paintings of Picasso and a lot of Coco Chanel’s old work have inspired me,” she reveals.
The designer attributes her success to the countless artisans of Bangladesh with “magical fingers” whom she’s been supporting for years. “I want to show all my ideas and their talent. My work is my tribute to the craftsmen. My creations are their handwriting. Everyone talks about poverty. But one needs to actually dissolve the issue. It’s my first step up the ladder. I want more people to come out of poverty with dignity,” she states.
Bibi, who works with poor artisans in Assam, as well as Cambodia, Latin America, Africa and Sri Lanka, says, “This is the right time for ethical fashion. People are appreciating it and are more conscious of it today. But one has to be clever enough to diversify things so that people are interested.”
After her stop in Bangalore, she’s off to Brussels on December 6 to speak at the European Development Days before 10,000 guests, followed by a show with 18 European models. “This show has been happening for years. I’m going there for the first time,” states Bibi.
piali.dasgupta@timesgroup.com
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