Nida Mahmood – Multi Talented Fashion Designer
Nida Mahmood (Source: the hindu)
Nida Mahmood, the multi-talented fashion designer, not only produces her creativity through her apparel but also on canvas, as she is a self-taught artist too! This designer from NIFT has received many accolades for her contribution in the fashion circuit and has been awarded in 2002 for the ‘Most Creative Design Collection’. Her style is unique as Indian Kitsch is what forms the essence of her fashion creations and is evidently her forte too.
Nida has brought out the brandish and outlandish colors and Indian brazen designs through her previous three collections at WIFW that were titled ‘Maachis’, ‘Sadak Chaap’, ‘Bioscope’ and ‘High on Chai’ – which perhaps sums up the kind of quirkiness that she adds to her garments. Her collections named ‘Sapna Cinema’ and ‘Bohemian Tamasha’ won her rave reviews, commercial success and a lot of critical acclaim to the extent that she has been named as the ‘Queen of Indian Kitsch’ by the media. Nida is also a columnist who writes on fashion and art for various newspapers and websites. She is an avid traveler and keeps enhancing her ‘bioscope’ of experiences in order to find new inspirations for her fashion lines.
Nida teamed up with Raul Chandra, who operates ‘State of Mind’ which is a creative agency which has been responsible for some path-breaking events, festivals and campaigns- to form a joint venture called ‘New India Bioscope Co’ which was launched during the course of the Wills India Fashion Week SS-10.
Nida Mahmood (Source: klickfashion.com)
Background
The Queen of Indian Kitsch, Nida Mahmood, has essentially introduced the fun and playful quirky ‘technicolor’ Indian pop culture to the fashion scenario in a big way. Her designs might have raised an eyebrow, but she has always mustered rave reviews and popularity with her collection at the various fashion shows.
She was a part of the Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour in 2012 wherein she showcased her latest collection titled ‘Bun Maska’ which was very apt for the ‘masaledar’ designs that she exhibited! Nida’s muse and inspiration have always been the little streets and ‘gullies’ of boisterous India and the colors that she uses have been derived from the vibrancy of India culture. The name of the fashion line is inspired by the popular Bombay Bun Maska which is symbolic of free-spiritedness, youthfulness, and adventure- which are things that the present generation associate themselves with. The unconventional garments speak volumes about the current generation which abhors conforming to traditional norms and want to speak their own minds.
This is the reason why she added quirky accessories like LED lights for hair add-ons and feather lashes to enhance her fashion statement. The essence of her various fashion lines and her signature style would be boho chic as she tries to derive ideas from things that are essentially termed as ‘small and meaningless’ such as ‘maachis’ which formed the basis of her ‘Maachis Collection’. Nida enjoys dramatizing on things that are boring and simple by trying to celebrate them through fashion!
Nida Mahmood Creation (Source: thehindu.com)
Style
Her clothes have a very innovative look, much akin to a work of art or ‘art translated’, as it seamlessly brings together disharmonious segments together to give a well-balanced and aesthetic whole. It would not be inappropriate to state that she does achieve her target with elan as she balances the classic style with the ‘loud’ street style that results in an individualistic whimsical, yet sassy contemporary look. Her creations are inspired by the vibrancy and quirky elements off the streets of India including its remote nooks and crannies!
Nida Mahmood has had a varied experience in the world of fashion and that includes having designed a costume for the lead protagonist in a sci-fi Hollywood movie PIA in 2009. She has also designed the concept for NIKE for the upcoming cricket world cup along with a line of clothing based on the same. Nida also designed clothes for a major project on the TV channel UTV BINDASS. Her quirky designs and eye for innovative couture helped her to design an outfit for Lady Gaga, who has an eye for eccentricity by designing an outfit embedded with more than 1000 LED lights in 2011.
Nida believes that clothes speak a language and they have the capability of delivering sophistication, humor, style and irony and that is why she is determined to bring her art-inspired whimsical ideas to the forefront and marry them off with old fashions designs to create the perfect blended fashion.
New India Bioscope Co. is a ‘streetaholics’ delight as the clothes portray the essence of India in terms of its famous trademark rickshaws, cows, crows, chai stalls, songs, hoardings, conversations, faces, dances and so much more that define the ethos of India. The brand churns out furniture, clothes, light fixtures, art, graphics and accessories such as shoes and bags that project the real Indian saga in Technicolor and is a tribute to the popular culture of Indian streets.
Nida Mahmood had worked with many stalwarts in the Indian fashion industry such as Manish Malhotra, Hemant Trivedi, Aki Narula, to name a few and after handling a couple of shows independently, Nida finally found the courage to break out of the mold and create a niche for herself. Her creativity through her art, Indian quirkiness and experiences saw her speeding through a creative roller-coaster ride that brought out unique and never-before-seen elements in the fashion scene.
Nida Mahmood Saree (Source: sareedreams.com)
Innovations
Nida is amongst the three fashion designers that have been selected from India to have her work studied by the experts in London’s Victoria and Albert museum. Nida has already been a part of a Hollywood movie called ‘PIA” in which she has designed the costume for the male protagonist.
Nida also collaborated with HCL to showcase their latest range of ME tablets through haute couture by combining technology with fashion to create a sensational product launch. The lively presentation of the ‘VDO GAGA’- the theme of the product launch which saw a collection of apparel that was inspired by time travel. Nida Mahmood received a lot of appreciation for fusing fashion with breaking through technology to create a fashion ramp product launch which was altogether ingeniously put together.
Accessorizing
Nida believes that fashion keeps redefining itself and to stay in the business it is important to keep updating trends. One way to stand out from the crowd would be to add your own style to it through an eye-catching accessory, which should be able to lift your outfit artistically.
Bright and quirky accessories like hair bands, danglers and droplets earrings, skinny trousers, or the retro flared pants would add a lot of oomph to your wardrobe with your own distinct style statement. Wearing shoes that add more colors to your clothes would also be a stylish accessory. “Never match your accessories to your clothes”, this is one mantra that Nida adheres to strictly.
References
Categories: Fashion Cults, Fashion Designers