While several other designers have, both in the past and at the present event expressed their concern for their environment, Deepika’s presentation tugged at the heartstrings.

The lights came alive on a lone violinist, Manoj, the fiddler in the wings, whom she calls, “an embodiment of the human spirit, a witness to the drama unfolding and a symbol of stability at time of uncertainty.” When Deepika tells you, they practiced the scores for a month, you realise the effort she puts into details that may seem peripheral to some.

Deepika used different senses to good effect. Words, for example, in a heart-rending dialogue between the Indian woman and her French confidante. The voices of Alain, a French poet and writer and Sakshi Pradhan, were haunting.

The script was poignant describing the effects of environmental degradation: the drying lake and the dead swans on one hand in India, and the sister succumbing to cancer in distant Paris, on the other. Both bound by the pathos of a self-destructive ‘civilisation’.

Deepika is certainly a thought-provoking designer. The only nit I have to pick here is that, the effect of the script and the violin were so poignant, that at times, the ears took over from the eyes. You found yourself concentrating on the aural drama unfolding a little more than on the forty-piece collection.

Even the pace on the catwalk was carefully thought out, with the pensive juxtaposed with the more brisk and usual catwalk tread. These were for two women: the one who is ruled by the heart, and the other, by the head.

She calls the two collections Soulscapes and Mindscapes. Soulscapes is more about the woman “striving to sow the seeds of change” while Mindscapes is more about those who are more pragmatic.

Ikat prints in a contemporary interpretation looked good in Soulscapes. As Deepika explains, although she has been toying with Ikat weaves for some time now, the demand for lightweight fabric led her to turn to the printed Ikat motif for chiffon and lightweight fabric.

Deepika has been known for her concern about the environment. The Autumn/Winter 2007 line which she showed at the March avatar of the event had similar sensibilities.

New avatar of lycra

What one found most interesting was the fact that the fabric is a new avatar of lycra. If you find yourself withdraw at the mention of the ‘l’ word, take a second look: this lycra is different. The fabric has 2-3 per cent lycra with soya bean, bamboo and cotton blends. Organza and silk modal remind you of the summer breeze.

Developed by Pratibha Syntex, they have been used to great effect with satin, silk, lycra, organza and silk modal.
Incidentally, the Madhya Pradesh-based company is perhaps the only process-certified plant in India that produces organic cotton as per the guidelines of North American Draft Organic Fiber Standards. Credited with creating organic cotton, it has certificates to verify its manufacturing procedure from SKAL, Netherlands. The dyes are azo-free, by Ciba.

Fortunately, we first saw a piece from the collection the previous day, at Deepika’s stall, where we learnt, much to our surprise, that this was eco-friendly cloth. The fabric takes beautifully to colour, and Deepika played around with bright geraniums and zinnias, kingfisher hues and black and white in Mindscapes.

In Soulscapes, it was more the colour of the earth, with mint, burnt orange and different shades of green. From the collection to the almost shy final bow, Deepika’s penchant for simplicity came through. Her lines are clean and the clothes, eminently wearable.

What could have come through a little more forcefully was the fact that here is a designer who is concerned enough to use fabric made out of recycled natural fibre. But then, a gentle reticence is so Deepika!