Collage turns 20 in November this year. But the celebrations are already underway: this includes an art show, a gamut of new collections, and old designers making a comeback.
“From July onwards we are doing something interesting every month. We didn’t just want to invite people and do dinner. It had to be something unusual; something that’s got a strong design sense. There should be a design story to talk about,” says Lata Madhu, founder of the multi-designer store. To begin with, she got Aulerth to showcase its sustainable jewellery, while Pero launched its new collection including a line for men.
Collage which first opened in 2004, on the corner of Greams Road, moved to a new address in 2022. A sprawling 70-year-old bungalow — flanked by tall trees and bathed in sunlight — on Rutland Gate. Lata wanted this space to have a soul, with craft at its core. And this is what she keeps in mind while curating collections.
Holding up a brilliant pink tunic by Sartorial by Swati she traces her hand through the Manipuri embroidery work on it. “Swati is a textile designer from Mumbai and her forte is dyeing,” she adds, pulling out a kaftan with ombre dye. This is craft with a modern touch, shesays. The store is also bringing back Anand Kabra after almost eight years. “He used be one of our bestsellers. He was so experimental,” adds Lata. Studio Renn will showcase its jewellery, along with some pieces made specially for Collage, and Suket Dhir will be back with his creations and his talk series.
Sartorial on display at Collage | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In its 20th year, Collage has new plans. Lata is keen to align the brand with any form of artistic expression, and be a part of the process. “The idea is also to showcase things that are not just clothing. We don’t just want to be a fashion destination,” she adds. As part of the celebrations, there is a digital art exhibition planned — Reincarnations:: Ghosts of a South Asian Past by Sam Madhu — on August 31, where the entire parking lot will transform into an art gallery.
Curation, she says, is important. “It is what will set you apart. Understanding your city is very important. Each city’s mindset and pulse is very different,” she says.
At Collage, every room has a name and is curated keeping with the vibe of the space . “For example, the mango tree room has the smallest window, so the clothes there are mostly solids as there is not much natural light coming in and the verandah where we do most of our events has some form of drape kept there as it’s airy with light coming in,” she explains. There is the brick room that greets you as soon as you enter; it retains the original bricks from decades ago. We had to strip the walls to expose the bricks, she says. This is followed by the frangipani room overlooking the tree it’s named after, the Indian room, and the courtyard room.
A collection by Pero | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Our curation is what people are talking about,” Lata smiles, while confessing that when she started out two decades ago she had no idea about racking. “I started because I had an opportunity and resources but I was not qualified. We opened a beautiful store and had big names like Raghavendra Rathore, Meera and Muzaffar Ali, Sabyasachi... There was no Instagram then. The business was achieved by the number of people who came,” she recalls. From housing the works of around 20 designers, the boutique now has 40 designers on display. “Some brands that started with us are still with us. People who shopped with me 20 years back still shop with me,” she says.
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