The Mumbai Atelier That's Designed Costumes For Nicole Kidman
NDTV
Chetan Desai does not divulge the current clients on his books but his past roster gives a sense of the high demand. They include Jean Paul Gaultier, Yohji Yamamoto and Donna Karan.
Sitting in a lotus position, four men weave glittering beads through gold thread on an organza sheet, carefully constructing a wedding dress that will soon wow crowds at Paris Fashion Week.
For once, the French couturier behind the design, Julien Fournie, is determined to put these craftsmen in the spotlight: his new collection, showing in Paris on Tuesday, is entirely made with fabrics from Mumbai.
He says a sort of "design imperialism" means that French fashion houses often play down the fact that their fabrics are made outside France.
"The houses which don't admit it are perhaps afraid of losing their clientele," Fournie told AFP.
