Since her first collection, Rockstar meets Indian Princess, at Lakme Fashion Week in 2000 when she introduced us to her flair for sequins, Malini Ramani has never ceased to surprise. Her vibrant, festive and east-meets-west collections, maintain a fine balance between glamour and practicality, something the designer personally promotes. Ramani’s latest coup, a partnership with the footwear company Bata, will add some much-needed verve to the brand’s affordable sandals, sneakers and more. It also ties in with the CEO of Bata India, Marcelo Villagran’s announcement earlier this year to revamp the 80-year-old shoe brand by focusing on the younger generation, besides appealing to the 40-plus age group. What to expect?Taking inspiration from Kolhapuri sandals and the wedge heel, there is mirror work embroidery, cork heels and classic nude leather with gold trim in designs. In the beginningHaving collaborated with a corporate brand for the first time, Ramani recalls how the idea for an exclusive line came about. “I met the chairman of Bata India, Thomas George Bata, last year in Phuket at a party. We chatted and ended up agreeing to a collaboration,” she says. Like many who grew up wearing Bata shoes, Ramani gets nostalgic when asked about her connection with the brand. “I was in the eleventh standard when I came to study in India and wore Bata shoes. It feels great to be associated with a brand I grew up knowing,” adds Ramani.Animal prints coming upSigned on for two seasons, Ramani admits that she has started working on her next collection for the retail giant. “It will have a lot of animal prints. There could be heels or wedges. We are keeping the rest of the information under wraps,” says the designer. With colours like pink, black, gold and nude, the collection, she says, will define comfort and style for the modern woman, and she hopes it will “sell like hot cakes.”Available at Bata stores and online, the collection is priced from Rs 1,999 onwards. Details: www.bata.in.
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