#BTExclusive Kunal Rawal Showcases ‘Hide & Seek’ Collection at the Digital India Couture Week

Brides Today: How does a digital show fare compared to a physical runway show?
KR: “With the digital show the approach becomes more consumer centric, you reach a lot more people and can link people directly to your website to make purchases almost immediately post the show. Also, you can give each garment the right amount of screen time, you can go as close to the garment and catch a lot more of the details that you miss out in a regular show.”

Brides Today: What has the pandemic taught you?

KR: “The pandemic has taught us to prioritise. We have all started moving in a mindful direction. Every designer today is making sure their presence is omni channel, their work is being viewed online and offline. Business wise safe guarding yourself with a Plan A, B ,C is important and preparing for a worst case scenario at any given point is important.”

Brides Today: What challenges does a digital show pose?
KR: “There are quite some challenges in the digital show. It’s extremely important to understand the medium and screen time per garment.
Building a digital narrative is a bigger challenge. Also, with the team you have to be careful of your safety and of those around you. Styling, coordination and trials has been a new experience with restricted contact. I personally enjoy the real time reaction and feedback we receive from the audience once you step on the runway, it’s indeed satisfying. So, I would say I will really miss that!”

Brides Today: Tell us about the photosensitivity technique used in this collection?

KR: “We have fused innovation with design, introducing solar, a new concept that allows textiles to harness energy from the sun. This means clothes will change colour on exposure to the sun by virtue of photosensitivity to the UV rays. These are signature Kunal Rawal pieces that have two power looks in one outfit.”

Brides Today: What colour palette, fabric and detailing have you used?

KR: “This collection represents my love for texture. The more layers you add, especially with couture the more interesting it gets. Against popular belief, all this can be done at paper weight.
You will catch a whole bunch of threadwork from french knots to dhoop chaon in rafia and cane work. Dimensions have been added with print and threadwork. You will find metallic highlighting like gunmetal, oxidised silver and dull gold in tone-on-tone versions, this shows our love for grunge. There’s also a lot of hem play with cuts and sows and beading. The deconstructed jacket is something we have focused on a lot this season, we have broken it up in two separates so the sleeveless jacket can be worn and styled with multiple looks.”

Brides Today: How much time did it take to put the collection together?

KR: “This collection has been put together over eight months. It has a whole bunch of pieces for different occasions. New silhouettes with a focus on comfort and versatility have been introduced. There’s a lot of detailing in each piece. The karigars have worked for hours on some pieces, to create a 3D texture that involves multiple layering of handwork. However, the looks have been kept tonal as I believe that the man today prefers a cleaner and a tone-on-tone look that enhances his personality.” 

Brides Today: What is the inspiration behind the collection Hide & Seek?

Kunal Rawal: “Hide & Seek is inspired from today’s man and the world we live in. Through this collection we weave stories of a groom rooted in tradition but moving in tandem with the current times. It highlights the pillars of our label—variety, versatility and luxury. There are a wide array of clothes to choose from basis your personality, mood and body type. Each piece is versatile meaning it can be worn in multiple ways and lastly luxury—every piece is intricately hand detailed. I loved working on the fits. Clothes feature body cheat patterns, something I have loved doing since my costume design days.”