`Designers compromise on quality to bring prices down`

Mumbai: With the Indian fashion growing immensely and young designers entering the market, it is an uphill task to make profits. Ace designer Tarun Tahiliani feels many are forced to sacrifice on quality to stay within their prescribed price range and garner business.

"There is a lot more choice today, lot of people have sacrificed their quality just to bring their prices down. This happens everywhere in the world. Everyone has to decide who they want to be," Tahiliani told reporters on the sidelines of the fourth edition of his couture exposition here. The Monday-Tuesday event offered a range of high-end bridal outfits. Set against a cutting-edge glass backdrop titled `Jewel Box`, the exposition shared the season`s newest trends, exquisite designs and jewel colors in bridal and occasion wear. The choices for women varied from key-hole jackets and lehangas in classic colours like deep red and gold, tulle saris, shararas in bright tones to anarkalis in citrus colours. For men, the designer offered sherwanis with maroon-coloured zardozi borders in velvet, paired with digitally printed sequinned stoles. As for his muse, Tahiliani said he is "inspired by many things". "I never have one inspiration. I work on developing it all year round. I derive inspiration from the people I meet and dress". Known worldwide for fusing Indian craftsmanship and textile heritage with European tailored silhouette, Tahiliani`s signature style is teaming jackets with lehengas and saris. If his designs wows fashionistas, his clientele is equally impresse with Shilpa Shetty, Malaika Arora Khan to Neha Dhupia and Minisha Lamba among his fans. Asked about mixing east and west, he said he designs clothes taking the best from everywhere. "I speak in English but think as an Indian. So it`s a mix. I think and dream in English but I am an Indian. We have a strong culture. Fashion has to move forward," he told reporters. "We have the most beautiful textile, workmanship, embroidery, but cut and shape is a new thing for us. This is what we are working on. I get people from abroad to help me in this. Like the rest of the world takes our embroidery, I take their technology in my work," he added. IANS