Meet Diana Linda of Diana Linda!

Hello fellow riders, hope you are enjoying our blog chats with our multi-talented designers – our window into their lives and inspiration. Do give us your feedback, comments how we could make this better. We always appreciate feedback.

Today we are talking to Diana Linda of Diana Linda brand – the Bombay hippie-kitsch fashion maker

Hi Diana, so nice to finally chat with you. We want to know so much about you and your brand. So let’s get started!

Diana, tell us a little more about yourself?

Diana: I am an expatriate living in India since the year 2002. I used to work with the international NGO, Medecins Sans Frontiers or Doctors Without Borders for eight years before I decided to follow my passion for designing.

So in short I am an Italian based in Mumbai. And I love Mumbai and Indian culture.I love classical music, movies, theatre, yoga, dance, and philosophy.

Wow, an Italian with an Indian Heart – that’s an unique mix. So how & when did you get started with the idea of Diana Linda?   

Diana: Commercially speaking 3 years ago, but since many years at an experimental and personal level

So tell us a little more about your products? (Is there a theme? a process? a cause?)  

Diana: Many of my items have Bollywood themes and posters. Some are collage based. The collage is done by hand and afterwards it is scanned. Other items are also based on recycling; such as a collection of papier mache bangles and necklaces or another of bangle made out from coca cola bottles or bisleri with still the collage technique. Also recycling coffee boxes, magazine with table mats, trunks with spray paints.

The cause is in the way that I work: I work with a group of women coming from an NGO called OJUS medical and the Damini project: they are all women from slum or unprivileged background, or with health problems such as HIV.

All the items are unique and there is no mass production, majority of items are done by hand and then assembled by machine, but each item is different from the other even in the same model

Wow coca cola bottles and bisleri? That sounds extremely amazing. So Diana what inspires you?  

India, Mumbai, Bollywood, colors, imagery, photography.

I am inspired mainly by India and its vibrant colours; my design spells Mumbai-Bombay- Bollywood with its pop culture, kitsch and drama. My products feature techniques like collage, patchwork, decoupage, spray painting and embellishment of all sorts. You can find an assortment of traditional Indian handcrafted embroidery, lush fabrics, old Bollywood posters and even saree borders. In one word – the style sense is funky!

I am amazed at how much India has inspired you given that you are not even from this country. So do you admire any of our designers work? And International too?  

Diana: Oh there are many Sabyasachi, Alexander Mc Queen, Manish Arora, Vivienne Westwood...and many others

So what are your passions/hobbies?  

Diana: Photography, collage, travelling, theatre, studying and learning everyday something new! And yoga is more than a hobby; it’s a way of life and philosophy

That is so wonderful that you do pursue such a variety of passions.

So tell us are you working on something totally new?

Diana: Yeah some clothes

Hmm so that is something we definitely look forward to.

Now for all our dear readers, who are in various parts of the country, where can they find your stuff?   

Diana: The shops are amethyst Chennai; you, bliss, vit k, sakpal, azadbazar in mumbai, studio Rudraksh in Pune, Xela, Esperanto in Goa...and The Orange Bicycle in Bangalore... hope I didn’t forget any :)

Ok and lastly, any advice for our readers?

Diana: Never keep it just in the mind, just go for it from an idea or from a detail, take a pencil, or a cloth or whatever item and start...the creativity will come by itself. And creativity comes from mistakes more than from perfection! :-). Fashion is a matter of disproportion

That’s such a cool piece of advice. I totally agree. Thank you Diana for your time and patience. It was wonderful knowing you a little more than we already do through your lovely products.

Now for some recommendation from our side – we pick the brocade half and full sandal boots – they totally take the cake in terms of innovation, creativity, color, hip and kitsch all rolled into one. You will love it the moment you see it.

Also do check out her Bollywood totes/bags – extremely unique, colourful and truly Bollywood. So if you love Bollywood, you will fall in love with her brand.

Come see her unique stuff only at The Orange Bicycle in Bangalore!

Meet Karishma Shahani of Princesse K

Hi fellow riders, today we are talking to Karishma from Princesse K, an independent handbag label based out of Mumbai, India. Created and fashioned by Karishma Shahani, the ideology of the design house is to produce an interesting mix of constructed designs for the discerning woman who has a keen interest in fashion.

Karishma also writes on fashion and lifestyle and her work has been published by various fashion magazines in India over the last few years

So Karishma, welcome to The Orange Bicycle blog where we tell your story the way it is. So tell us a little more about yourself – anything you want to share with us and our readers that will help us know you better 

Karishma: Well I started my career as a journalist where I worked for a leading daily followed by a fashion magazine writing about entertainment, lifestyle and fashion. I also started a boutique called Whym, where I was promoting young designers straight out of design school.  Post this I got a Master’s of Science in Luxury Goods & Services from the International University of Monaco and came back to start Princesse K.  

Wow you are definitely a woman of various talents - from journalism to fashion. So how and when did you get on with the idea of Princesse K?

Karishma: The idea for Princesse K came to me in April 2009. While studying for my masters I paid extra special attention to the handbag industry as it has always been my favorite accessory and the best part - one size fits all!!

We agree…I mean women and handbags…can they ever have enough? So tell us a little more about the handbags you make.

Karishma: The main theme running through our products is that they are all animal friendly. We don't use any leather or leather products while making bags. Instead we use a combination of fabric, faux leather and embellishments like gota flowers or embroideries to create trendy yet animal friendly bags.

So why Princesse K? Quite a glamorous name for a brand. Is there a story there?

Karishma: The name is inspired by Princess Grace Kelly who was the princess of Monaco and is a timeless style icon. While studying in Monaco, which is a principality, I got to learn a lot more about Princess Grace Kelly and started appreciating her style which inspired me to name the label after her. Of course the first initial of my name also starts with K.

Ya we always thought the K came from Karishma. So what inspires your work/creativity?  

Karishma: Ethnic Indian elements inspire me. I like to combine the contemporary with the traditional and create a unique but fun product.  Through my creations I strive to create the most utilitarian product and at the end of the day it is versatile, user friendly yet stylish.

So any great artists/designers work you admire/look upto?  

Karishma: My favourite art movements are Impressionism and Expressionism. Vincent Van Gogh, James Ensor, Monet, Matisse and Renoir are a few of my favorite artists. 

In terms of designers there are many just to name a few would be - Alexander McQueen, Lulu Guiness, Valentino, Manish Arora, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Anand Bhushan, Kallol Dutta, Anamika Khanna and the list goes on and on.

So besides what you do, how do you relax…what are your passions/hobbies? 

Karishma: Reading, writing, watching movies, discovering new cities.

So are you working on anything new?  

Karishma: I am currently on working on the next collection which will see a lot of use of traditional Indian fabrics with a contemporary twist. 

For all our dear readers, who are in various parts of the country, where can they find your stuff?  

Karishma:Princesse K is available in various stores across the country. Here is a link to where all you can find us - http://princessek.com/locations/

So tell us, some advice for all - five things that you think are necessary to be successful at what you do?  

Karishma:Be passionate, informed, do your research well, figure out your finances and don’t sweat the small stuff, always look at the long term benefits.

That sounds like a cool formula for success. Thank you Karishma for your candid chat and thank you for being part of The Orange Bicycle. We wish you more success. All the best.

And now for our pick – we definitely recommend the ikkat print clutch – Indian is the way to go. Come check her Indian themed bags and clutches at The Orange Bicycle – it’s different, its new and its stylish.

Ccube coming up! Meet Piyali And Anuja

As promised, here we are with our first interview with our first designer.

Firstly I want to start by saying a big thank you to each and every designer we have on board at The Orange Bicycle. We started with a mere concept note and an idea. They all believed in us even when we had nothing else to show for ourselves – not even a name for the store. They came on board and helped us create the story of The Orange Bicycle. We may not have said it before or enough but thank you guys for believing in us, in our idea and in our business.

So come 2011, we thought, we had to know these guys. As of now they were our suppliers but really they are much more than that. They are all a bunch of creative souls who churns out ideas faster than we can spell creativity. And frankly it was time to know them better. And so we thought, in today’s day and age of Facebook and blogging, there was nothing better than a blog interview with our designers for us to know them, their passions, and their ideas and hopefully give them a platform to share their story with our customers.

There is no particular order we have here, each week, we will do a story on one of our many many designers and hopefully we will know them just a little bit more, a little bit better.

This week we talked to Piyali and Anuja from Ccube and frankly hearing from them was very much like our own story. Ccube was born after a conversation between these two friends. So let’s hear from them what happened from that conversation.

So tell us a little about you two…and where did that conversation end?

Anuja had a childhood passion for handmade stuff and Piyali (something to do with being a Bong) a passion for all things beautiful in a home. So we had a conversation and at the end of that long conversation, came the realisation that it could be a great combination of a visualizer and a creator who could work in perfect sync with each other.

So what was the idea?

The idea was to create cushion covers (soft home furnishings) that are fun, contemporary and at times quirky. Designs that are unconventional and that bring about a refreshing look to your interiors.

Wow…so that conversation went well. Why are you called Ccube? Quite unusual

Once the idea was in place, the search for the name began and after pondering over endless suggestions (oh yeah, tell us all about it…we went through months for that decision), the final choice was made. Ccube it was – C for creative and C for contemporary or C even for Customised. The choice is yours!

So what inspires your design?

The inspiration for our designs comes from our everyday life: some things that we stand up & notice (The Wonders of the World Series) and some quite artistic elements that we tend to overlook in our daily mundane life (the Pop Art Series) and the natural beauty around us (The Flowers n Leaves Series)

So where all can we find your designs?

You can find our products @ BLISS, MUMBAI and THE ORANGE BICYCLE, BANGALORE.

And finally for some personal recommendation from their line that we stock at our store – “The Wonders of the World Series” is an awesome collection with colourful, bright city scapes – London, Paris, Italy, and Mumbai and so on. If you haven’t seen them already, you must and trust me, no matter where you live, one of these pieces will surely bring about some colourful change to your living room.

Thank you Anuja and Piyali for your short and sweet story. It was great knowing you girls and here’s wishing you great success. Looking forward to more inspiration and colourful quirky designs.

With a new year comes time for change, time for color, brighter days

and to find something that matches the optimism that the new year brings!

Our story becomes more and more juicy, zesty and mmmmmmhhhh!

The story of The Orange bicycle has many delicious, sweet, tangy chapters

of designers and their creations. 

Each chapter is again a story in itself,

an expression of emotions, thoughts and imagination .

We will  take you further on this ride with us by

 bringing you these stories at regular intervals starting this week...

watch out our blog...or follow us on Facebook!

Featured in VOGUE!!!!!!

http://www.vogue.in/content/orange-bicycle


Its like reaching a milestone !!! We feel very encouraged by all the media coverage and support we receive from people around us! Gives us the positive energy to enjoy and improvise for days to come!!
Cheers!

The Orange Juice!

With January comes time for change, time for color, brighter days

and to find something that matches the optimism that the new year brings!

Our story becomes more and more juicy, zesty and mmmmmmhhhh! 

The story of The Orange bicycle has many delicious, sweet, tangy chapters

of designers and their creations. Each chapter is again a story in itself,

an expression of emotions, thoughts and imagination .

We will  take you further on this ride with us by

 bringing you these stories at regular intervals...

watch out our blog...or follow us on Facebook!

Great way to end 2010 and welcome 2011!!

articles on The Hindu and My Bangalore..:)

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/12/27/stories/2010122751200300.htm

http://www.mybangalore.com/article/0111/the-orange-bicycle-treasure-trove-of-all-things-fun-and-kitschy.html