October 8, 2013 Asmita Aggarwal

The Good Wife

Geetanjali Ranawat has been doing accessories for three seasons and this time, she is ready with her sassy Gladiators and ingenious bird-shaped bags…

When Geetanjali Ranawat graduated in interior and product design from NIFT Hyderabad, she didn’t know she would be working with her husband, rather than launching her own line.

Opting to keep away from the limelight, few know that Geetanjali has been doing the accessories for her husband Rajdeep’s show for the last three seasons. And this time she travelled with him to theNubra Valley, Ladakh to give a new definition to his line ‘Rococo Goes Tropical’.

“I will launch my own line, who knows? But right now I am happy in the space I am in. For SS 14, I have designed the entire range of bags and shoes. We have bags shaped like interesting feathered creatures—Parakeets and Toucans, made out of fabric and then sequinned, to give them an ornate feel. Lace and leather have been added along with 3- dimensional orchids capturing the theme of Ladakh’s stunning valley,” she smiles.

Geetanjali has also crafted another series of bags in jute and cane which have been mixed up with digital prints inspired by the hand painted garments. “The biggest challenge for me is to understand what he is thinking and to also note that you can’t have overpowering accessories. The ensembles must be the epicenter. So your manufacturing has to be in sync with this thought process and as we start accessories after the collection is done, I only had a month to get it all together and to make it ‘perfect’,” she admits.

This time, Geetanjali was focused on trying to get the proportion of the moulding and construction right. “Plus, I don’t follow any seasonal trends, we try and give a nice texture to the bags to make them statement-y,” she adds.

Tying up with Metro shoes, Geetanjali has also designed heeled and strappy Gladiators, knee-length in black (which will be retailed later for Rs 5,000). “We didn’t want to dilute the essence of the clothes by making them too colourful; black is both bold and beautiful,” she says. Working with your husband, can get tough and tilt the delicate scales of adjustment, but Geetanjali says that they make quite a team. “Rajdeep is easy to work with, quite clear about what he wants, so it’s fun to work with him. But what I did learn at NIFT has stayed with me till now—-‘don’t be afraid to take criticism, as you can’t always expect a positive feedback’. It has helped me deal with the fashion industry with greater equanimity,” she concludes.

Tagged: , ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fashion Design Council of India