Kumar was present to unveil her collection at The Mall in Edison, New Jersey. The Mall, on Oak Tree Road, has 18 stores featuring designers like Satya Paul, Payal Singhal and now Kumar.
She has two collections -- a traditional one that includes saris, wedding trousseaus, evening outfits and a younger, pret line she started five years ago, called the Ritu Kumar Label.
"(In this line) You will see embroidered jeans with matching T-shirts, and Indian embellishments on them," Kumar said in a telephone interview. She said it was early to tell which of her lines would do well in the United States, the first time she is doing business outside India. "But in India, I've experienced the mother goes to one side and the daughter, unless she is getting married, wears the Ritu Kumar Label, and sometimes the Ritu Kumar Classic (traditional)."
In New York, Kumar also participated, along with Wendell Rodrigues and Raghavendra Rathore, in Incredible India@60 -- a four-day showcase of Indian culture, cuisine, traditions and the country's suitability for investment, in September.
She did two shows at Bryant Park
An all-white collection of hand-crocheted skirts and dresses followed; then came colored chiffon blouses and gypsy skirts, mirror-worked coats, and it concluded with a bridal line.
"I did not design things that looked as if they could have been done here," Kumar said. "There were some Western silhouettes, but the work came intrinsically from the rich heritage of Indian textiles."
Indian-inspired designs are gaining popularity abroad, she said. "I think the world is getting a little tired of the black and the brown and just wearing track suits and T-shirts," she added. "You lose out on all the lovely flow our fabrics have, and our prints and colors have." While the world looks to Paris for inspiration, India has an indigenous handwriting, the designer said.
