State govt's Rajasthali all set for a makeover

Jaipur: Rajasthali ­ the flagship store of the handicrafts marketing wing of the Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation Ltd (RSIC), government of Rajasthan, is all set for a makeover with the expertise of Bangladeshi fashion designer, Bibi Russell.

Much in demand in the west, this would be Bibi Russell's first store in India, which with the state government's adequate marketing, would be hard to ignore by the tourists as well as the local populace.

“I have always been fascinated by the vibrancy of arts and crafts of Rajasthan. I feel bad that the store is not doing well. I recall, way back I once wore the ghagra choli that my parents bought from Rajasthali, for a college party, with lots of jewellery and everyone raved about it.Little did I know that one day I would be working on reinventing Rajasthali.This would be my tribute to the Rajasthan government that I work with,“ said Bibi.

The Rajasthan Day fas hion show by Bibi was only a precursor to the potential that lay in the state's rich textile and handicrafts sector that was so far dominated only by private players.`Rajasthali by Bibi Russell,' likely to be launched mid-June intends targeting the youth and is going to be a ready-to-wear affordable store. Traditional, diversified yet a simple display of array is going to be the USP of the store. There are not going to be major renovations in the store. “To begin with, I will convert only a part of the store for my collection with bare minimum but with my style.“

But beyond textiles, lac, puppet and Taal Chappar accessories is the deep-rooted concern for nurturing the artisans and craft people with innovation in their design and creation of new markets. “I returned to Bangladesh in 1994 and since have worked on Fashion for Development for my label. My rickshaw art is very popular with expatriates.But in Rajasthali, I will introduce the `Truck Art' which I experimented on the `Jootis' for my fashion show,“ said Bibi who quit her international modelling career with the likes of Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Armani and relocated to Bangladesh to start Bibi Productions.

My team of village women are already waiting for my go ahead for the next lot of accessories that I will order once Rajasthali is launched. So with every purchase you make at `Rajasthali', remember you would be contributing to the development and promotion weavers and crafts persons besides taking back souvenirs reminiscent of the rich heritage of Rajasthan, she said.

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