FUN, FENI AND HIGH-FASHION

(Courtesy: The Indian Express)
The laid-back land of feni is quickly becoming
the new one-stop fashion shop. SUJATA ASSOMULL
reports on the burgeoning appetite of tourists
and local people in Goa for haute couture.

FOR MOST PEOPLE, THE word Goa conjures up images of sun, sand and
relaxation. But it is also home to several lifestyle stores where
top designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Abraham and Thakore and
Rajesh Pratap Singh regularly stock their collections. So whether
it's Camelot, started by photographer Ritu Nanda, or Wendell
Rodericks' boutique, the laid-back land of feni may soon turn
high-fashion, with young designers cutting their teeth on a very
quality conscious clientele.

Camelot, the store started by Ritu Nanda six years ago, was
actually India's first lifestyle store and in the August issue of
'Conde Nast' travel magazine it was nominated shop of the month.

According to the glossy, Camelot has "Madison Avenue
sensibilities". Nanda first started the store when she moved to
Goa from Bangalore where she was a well-known photographer. "I
used to come here all the time but I could not believe there was
no shop for selling Indian designer items for the house and home.
And whenever I came here the other tourists would not believe
that everything I wore was made in India," says Nanda.

So when she and her architect husband moved to Goa, they turned
part of their old Goan house into a store. In the 2,800 square
feet that make up Camelot you will find Made In India bed linen
that is ordinarily sold at London's Regent Street stores as well
as scarves by Rekha Bhatia, that use the Japanese tie and die
technique shibori.

Nor is Nanda alone. About a year after her, Mumbai-based designer
Wendell Rodericks moved to Goa and opened his own boutique. "I
moved to Goa to get away from the non-creative atmosphere of a
city," says Rodericks. And now Rodericks not only has his own
store but supplies to Camelot and Casa de Goa, a store in
Calangute that opened recently and specialises in selling Made in
Goa products.

Since moving to Goa, Rodericks' reputation as a designer has
grown and he is seen as the man behind designer resort wear in
India. "I was the first to put bikinis and sarongs, kurta shirts
and pyjamas on the ramp," says he not so modestly.

Goa attracts a vast number of tourists and is actually a very
profitable training ground for designers. And a lot of the items
you find in Goa you will not see anywhere else in India.

"Lots of people from Delhi come here to buy stuff. For instance,
Abraham and Thakore mostly sell their household linen and other
home furnishings abroad. But you can find them here."

The other bonus point is that new designers can break into the
market easily. "Since a lot of our clientele is from abroad they
are not looking for a well-known name but quality products that
are well priced. They have never heard of Indian designers
before," says Nanda. So Camelot stocks a variety of designer wear
from Tahiliani, to Aparna Chandra and Alpana Bawa.

Sousa's, a store in Goa's Panjim, run by Abel De Souza, which
started last year, stocks the work of many young designers such
as Nahid Merchant, Sara Eapen, Savio Jon and Priyadarshini Rao.

He says: "Foreigners are not aware of Indian brands. They are
bothered about finish. It does not matter who has made the
garment -- it just has to be of international standard."

Which means that designers have to be very careful about what
they stock in Goa. As Sara Eapen says: "Over-embellished kameezes
will not sell in Goa. Nor can you make clothes in synthetic
fabrics."

Merchant says you can be more experimental when designing for Goa
as there is a wide range of clientele from the local Goan to the
'firangs'. Though Rodericks says that 60 per cent of his
clientele is local and that he does not design a special line for
Goa, he admits that he often sends his more conservative styles
to Goa.

But Nanda finds even her local clientele quite discriminating.
Since Goa is a small place and has a very small social circle, it
is important for each woman to be very differently dressed. And
it's the cut and silhouette that really matters to the Goan
woman. Which is why the minimalist style flourishes in the State.

This wide range of clientele -- local 'firangs' and Indians on
short breaks -- makes Goa a profitable market for a lot of
designers. Says Rodericks: "I went into my shop-opening with lots
of positive energy and a big smile. Frankly I was surprised when
it turned out to be a profitable business."

He believes that Goa is a good market for most designers. "If you
stick with your style and are confident of selling in Goa, then
Welcome to our Golden State."

Even Merchant says she was not very confident when she entered
the Goa market a year ago. Now when she designs her new
collection she actually makes a line just for the Goan market.

Designers can not sell their products for flamboyant prices in
Goa, but ensembles do go down well in this market. "If a tourist
can find a product cheaper at home then why would they shop
here?" says Nanda. She only sells clothes that can be found as
separates. "My clients have their own style and like to do their
own mix and match," she says.

Which is why Goa for Nanda really is the home of natural style in
India. "It's all happening here, there is the sun and sea, good
restaurants and beautiful hotels -- so it's only natural that
some of the best stores are here. It's really the home of
Bohemian chic." (Courtesy: The Indian Express)