Ritu Beri

By SARA TEMPLETON

When people think fashion designers, traditional European countries like Italy and France come to mind. However, in the last 30 years India has been through a revolution in terms of fashion, and even other industries, such as Information Technology, have seen a similar boom.

At the heart of this burgeoning Indian fashion scene is Ritu Beri, a designer who is gaining recognition all around the globe for her sometimes simple, other times intricate designs, a woman who is putting India on the fashion map.

Ritu started her illustrious career in fashion when she created her first line of clothing in 1990, called Lavanya. It was a complete success for Ritu in her homeland and on the international market, with the range selling out very quickly.

As far as the lead up to Lavanya goes, Ritu graduated from Delhi University in 1987 and after this she felt as if she needed a challenge. As an artist, she decided to do something artisitc and ever since being interested in fashion, the natural choice was to try designing outfits.

At first she made them for herself, and being traditionally well-dressed, it wasn't long before her friends wanted Ritu's designs too. As she said: "Suddenly I was in business."

She concedes that while this was all well and good at the time, things needed to change if she wanted to successfully persue a professional career in fashion design. "There is vast chasm between designing on paper and successfully producing a 'creation'. After repeated frustrations and aggravations in dealing with cutters, tailors and the likes, I decided I needed formal training."

So, a decision was made and that was that - Ritu enrolled in the newly-opened National Institute of Fashion Technology in 1988. The tertiary education centre is linked to the F.I.T (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York, and had just been established in Delhi.

Spending two years at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, she learnt many of the skills needed to pursue a professional career in fashion design. Lavanya was her graduation collection, if you will, created in December of 1990, after she became one of the first students to complete the fashion study course.

Recognised as a player in the international fashion scene, with Lavanya paving the way, Ritu went on to create Sanskriti in 1995.

This line comprised of a more cultural offering, which in a way went back to her roots, her traditional values and it was this range of clothing that delighted the ethnic Indian population and made her an even bigger star in her own country.

In her time as a fashion designer, Ritu Beri has created the uniforms for many Indian companies, such as the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Delhi, the Delhi Police force, the Indian competitors to the Atlanta Olympic Games and has also created pieces for Indian cineam, aka Bollywood.

She is also a columnist in many of India's leading journals.

Ritu is said by many to be the driving force behind India's newly emerging power in the fashion industry, and most would have to agree. She's very marketable, what with her stunning good looks and evocative designs, and is likely to pave the way for many Indian designers to come.

"Today, the world is still my oyster - and I appear to have succeeded in prizing it open just a little bit." - Ritu Beri.

Links
Official Ritu Beri website
India Fashion.com