Flaunt : Hide- The Prodigal Artificer!

Whenever we think of leather, we think of the that male dominated territory of shoes, belts and bags that much to a woman's dismay, pretty much don't make it to her closet. But then again, there are some people, working away in the shy Leather Design laboratories of Fashion Schools making sure that one day, the hides that men are so proud to wear might become a woman's treasure.

One such person, who I may add is one of the most creatively advanced people at the National Institute of Fashion Technology at Calcutta. This one's for the prodigal artificer:

Reetika Singh is in her Final Year studying Leather Design. Monster Ate My Couture loved the spark that this leather loving lass carries with her.

"I believe in story-telling. Simplicity, complexity or sometimes both, help me make my renditions and I strive to reach out to as many hearts as possible."

 This jacket made of Rexine describes exactly how her design philosophy translates into her work. Simple arcs that flip and meet with the superbly constructed panels make this jacket a stunner!

We also think that this jacket is a classic one, where attention to details make it unique. When asked what her USP is, she said,

"Perhaps the unique surfaces or shapes that I use to create my renditions which may or may not be of leather is definitely what sets me apart."

...And we couldn't agree more!

Her designs come across as a fresh burst of energy and her color combinations are stunning. Like how well the Turquoise and Nude combination looks on this multi-ridged duffel.

So who does this bundle of talent look up to or get inspired by?

"No single designer, artwork or designwork inspires me. My inspirations are drawn from everyone and everything around me. But yes, I really look up to Bottega Veneta's finesse and 

Fabergé egg's beauty."

Nothing less than the best, eh? 

Every designer has a dream client, so who is her dream client?

"Happens to be the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Her panache and confidence instills a certain drive to adorn her."

 Well MAmC thinks that her creativity is best fit for royalty, too. The class and edge in her designs ensure that she is meant to be between stars and here's hoping that she reaches the pinnacle of success that she is aiming for!

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Credits:

Photography & Editing: Subhajit Adhya & Pritam Pradhan

Styling & Products: Reetika Singh 

Model: Sasha Prabhakar

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Please note:

Monster Ate My Couture, under any circumstances, is not supporting the leather industry due to the toll it takes on animals. The post has products made of synthetic leather as we are against any sort of animal abuse.

Love and Peace :]

Romancing the Crayon.

I clearly remember getting my first box of crayons.

I was 3 years old ready for my "First Ever Day in School" which was the next day. My mother took me to this little shop right opposite the very very old Park Circus market in Kolkata. Holding my mother's hand, I tried to stand on my toes to see over the dada across the counter searching for the box of Camel Plastic Crayons. As my mom handed me the box, I quickly opened the box of twelve neatly sharpened smooth crayons in all their majesty. The perfumed fragrance of those crayons is the the theme fragrance of my childhood!

I never took any formal training while growing up. Somehow, till date I guess the same 3 year old has managed to take over me ever time I draw or sketch something. I guess NIFT has to be the best thing to have ever happened to me. Not only do I study what I love the most, I also get to explore my second love- Illustrating.

Illustrating garments helps me know exactly what ideas are stored in my brain. It's like freezing my thoughts in paper. So I thought, why not ask my co-students the same? But I didn't need to ask. When I saw their works, I got my answer! :)

GOD IS IN THE DETAILS

Arindam's style of illustrating  remains classic with an amazing sense of details. The faces somehow remind me of  the famous 1930's actress  Madge Evans.

THE ROUGH-IAN

What I loved about Abhishek's sketches were the many millions of strokes that make his illustrations what they are. A sense of unkempt lines with alot of blotches and smudges. Sketching in the true sense of the word.

THE PUNK PHENOMENA

Shubho's sense of  illustrating is something completely opposite of his persona. His work shows men with tattoos and kohl lined eyes and spiked hair- something very dark. Being a student of Leather Design, he creates sketches of beautiful bags and jackets. Shown below is also his remarkable "Shadow Sketch" made with black Chinese ink.

 

THE REALISTIC DREAMER

Soumen is one of the most creative people I have known. Each of his work inspires me. Be it his paintings or his strokes, you would fall in love with the very thought behind everything he does.

Most of his illustrations capture the exact detail of the human figure. A very realistic approach to art, he makes what he sees. His "Shadow Sketches" are one of the best in NIFT.

WEARABLE DELIGHTS

Surabhi's creation don't come under illustrations but I would especially love to mention her as her designing skills are out of this world! The prints she creates are brilliant be it the repeated motifs or the T-Shirt print she made [in collabo with Md.Zubaer of NIFT].

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DRAWINGS

Anurag Paul is famous in NIFT for being unconditionally in love with the Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra. So much so that all his illustrations are made with her in mind. According to him even if he wants to sketch out someone else's face he cannot. But that is only (thankfully) limited to his female croquis!

 

DEBAUCHERY

I really try hard not to sound flamboyant when I talk about myself in my posts. I've been trying to find my signature style of illustrations. So here I present that and my "Shadow Illustration".

At first it was the "Lady Long Legs with the  Rosy Cheeks" but then I finally moved to the black croquis with the red lips and the very extravagant hair. The male croquis with the dripping paint is kind of my mockery at racism. Black and White are just colors, right?

Please Read: I have copyrighted the drawings under Monster Ate My Couture. It is just to prevent plagiarism. But the illustrations belong to the person they are mentioned under.

Love :]

Clone-Syndrome!

Alexander McQueen once said, "You've got to know the rules to break them." And I guess Fashion School is just teaching me the rules. Nobody is born a Galliano. Sometimes, during class, I design the most complicated of things thinking that if I were a designer, this is what I would sell. But what we forget is if people would want to buy that?

So we were given this assignment in class to make a knock off garment of any designer of our choice. The rules were simple:

1.Analyze the garment.

2. Color may be changed.

3.Very minute details might be changed as well.

4. Fabric should be as close to the actual fabric as possible.

5.Should be draped.

As usual I took out my Collezioni, and sorted out really complicated designs. Something that I was not ready for.

My mentor initially rejected it and asked us to select garments which WE WOULD WANT TO BUY.

I did as I was told and made the garment. It made me realize that the most beautiful of things are best kept simple. It was also a lot of fun, to recreate something within Rs.400 which generally sells for $1500!!

Here are a few of the designs made by my classmates and me. *drum roll*

And finally, my garment. :D :D

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So it's easy when you copy and paste. But when you start to copy and make, that's when you know what making an effort is.
Love and Peace :]