“Art and fashion are intrinsically linked, both draw heavily from each other,” says Dr. Nimrat Kahlon, an Indian Art Historian turned into a successful entrepreneur in merely a few years of work. Nimrat Kahlon is a leading name in the world of fashion thriving with great strength in Punjab region. “With the able guidance of eminent Art Historian Dr. D.C.Bhattacharya, I am able to pursue my dream of earning a doctorate degree in Art history. His perspectives of Art and Iconology have really shaped my design aesthetics” says Nimrat. She adds “Our past holds an important part in our lives, it determines our future. There are so many elements of design that have reoccurred. Learning the forms of clothing that existed so many years ago has helped me understand the dynamics of clothing and their paradigms. It has enabled me to recapture and redefine the old and glorious styles”.
Nimrat has been greatly influenced by European Art history, South East Asian art and architecture along with different eras and episodes of Indian history. She has picked up elements from the art and architecture of different civilizations of the world and has recapitulated them into her work. From the Byzantine frescoes and mosaics, Gothic architecture, Greco-Roman sculptures, Baroque and Rococo art forms to post-modern paintings and artworks, all have given an added dimension to her work. “My most favourite has been the painstaking details with which sculptors and architects have tried to bring to life their inner vision and depict more than what meets the eye. It is like a layer upon a layer that unleashes as you immerse deep into your subject” expresses Nimrat.
She has travelled extensively to gather ideas for her design construction. In most of her work, you would find a sense of cultural nostalgia that is very appealing and relatable. Nimrat mentions “The colours, motifs and forms draw from different sources, I have without falling tried to inculcate in my designs something or the other that comes from a historic origin. There is a deep meaning and value attached to the artifacts and art collectibles we find preserved in our museums. They help us understand how we have evolved socio-economically”. Nimrat wishes to take forward this ever colliding ‘Fashion and tradition’ coalescence to another level of excellence with her enchanting ideas. Her work through and through holds a promise of being transcended into a much larger industry.
