A cup of Assam tea with Pariah by Pranami

“And one day she discovered that she was fierce and strong, and full of fire and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.” –Mark Anthony

Her passion accentuates in her designs. Working and established as PR professional Pranami, there was always a thrive, drive and love that let to give up her career and choose what she love most. A Masters in  International Public Relations from Cardiff University, her quest for fashion designing began when she came back from London, and to the cherry on top, within the first year she got into the country's illustrious Lakme Fashion week 2016, and her line Pariah by Pranami got launched into renowned fashion house Ogaan Delhi. Her darn determination and endurance well paid off.

Woman…..She wears so many feathers on her hat…mother, daughter, sister, friend, fiancé, in spite of all those she remains in her signature, her individuality. The same can be adorned for Pranami Kalita’s creation Pariah. She pours her love into her designs more precisely her feminity..bold yet beautiful, trendy yet timeless. In her own words, she has a piece for every woman in her designs. Everyone can relate to her designs from casual chic to haute couture. An easy-breezy day gown in gadi silk(checkered assamese cotton silk weave with gos buta motif) to an articulate evening black wrap dress with adorned golden guna work or box pleat skirt with a crop top in the tribal motif. In colors, where on one end you can find earthy mustard, maroon, classic black, red and off white on the other end exuberant magenta to eclectic blue.

Pranami is also on an expedition to promote Assamese weaves into the mainstream and narrow down the gap between northeast and mainstream fashion. Her global sensibility seamlessly blends with all her Indian heritage and assamese roots whether it is the cape with zardozi and pink assamese motif skirt or off-white gadi silk ghagra choli with Assamese gos buta.  The raving part is that she used all indigenous fabrics or weaves from Assam whether golden silk muga, pat or along with works from the other parts of the country with her aura and aesthetics. Pranami's revival and interpretation have absolutely given assamese designs new dimensions and destinations. Pranami recently attended an Indian couture experience in Hongkong, the biggest pop-up show for Indian designers. Her designs have been featured in many leading fashion magazines like The Hindu, Vogue. In, Elle.in, Hindustan Times, the Pioneer. Let's hear from the dynamic designer...

1.    Your favorite piece of creation or design? 

Pranami Kalita - I think each piece is special to me. To be honest, I can't really pick one over the other.

2.    Tell us how do you get inspiration to create such great work? How your childhood or life imprints your design?

Pranami Kalita - Life inspires me. Moods, emotions, characters, people, nature... I think for any creative field, inspiration is in abundance; we just need to look around us.

3.    How do you define fashion?
Pranami Kalita - Fashion is an extension of who we really are. It is the first impression that people get about a person, so it is really essential to stay true to your sense of being, and in effect, your sense of style.

4.    Can you tell us about your future projects or what is next?
Pranami Kalita - Pariah is constantly evolving; I like to experiment, fuse and keep trying out new things. The collection I have been working on is my interpretation of the Orient, the Far East. A lot of time was put in carefully creating contemporary designs and color palettes on traditional Assamese Eri, all handloom, and infusing it with my love for Japanese culture. I'm quite excited!

5.    Where do you see Assam in terms of fashion in next ten year?
Pranami Kalita - I see Assam growing into quite a formidable force in the near future regarding fashion. We always had a very strong sense of style and an inherent understated elegance and luxe to our culture, and that has now caught the eyes of everyone. With the advent of the internet and social media, we are finally getting out our beautiful culture to the world, and it makes me immensely happy, hopeful and proud to have been able to contribute whatever little I can to this!

6.     Since your work is all about women how do you define a woman?
Pranami Kalita - A woman is anything she aspires to be. You can't confine her within a definition, I feel every woman is so beautifully unique, and each one carries her own definition- I just want to add one thing though, and this is for every woman out there. We often let society define us, we limit ourselves, we make sacrifices for everyone around, and at times, we forget 'us' in the process. We almost loose that version of us, that our five-year-old selves thought we could be when we grew up. Don't be scared to define yourself in your own words, not let others define you. Be yourself, be Pariah!

7.    Any advice for upcoming designers who choose fashion as a career?
Pranami Kalita - Always be true to your vision.

8.    Let's make it a little fun, as a fashionista yourself what is your favorite day wear or evening wear?
Pranami Kalita - With all the running around and Delhi's heat and pollution, I like to keep it easy breezy comfort style for daytime. For evening wear, I guess it depends on what occasion I am attending. But for a normal night, I love to slip on to a maxi dress, and I am off! One can't ever be overdressed or underdressed in a maxi; they are so versatile. So if you're ever confused, just strut out in one, and I promise you'll be dazzling the evening.

9.    Do you mind to share with us about your first designer purchase?
Pranami Kalita - My first ever designer purchase- I have this weakness for shoes! I was just out of Uni and as my graduation gift to myself, I bought my first pair of Jimmy Choo, I still remember, I was so stoked and proud, haha.

All picture credit Team Pariah!

You can find her designs at http://www.pariahbypranami.com