Diljit Dosanjh ropes in couturier Raghavendra Rathore to design his outfits for Dil-Luminati North America Tour
When Punjabi musician-actor Diljit Dosanjh made his Bollywood debut The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonHe created a look that was rooted in tradition but embellished with a chic mix of ultra-chic brands that appealed to a global audience.
Diljit pairs traditional wear with ultra-chic global brands | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Equally exclusive were a customized Audemars Piguet watch with diamond-encrusted dials, straps, and bezels by Jain the Jeweler and a pair of high-ankle Air Jordans The Pug with the Turtle (or pleated-fan turban) and kurta-moon (Punjabi version of dhoti or lungi) designed by renowned fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore. This ivory, sequined traditional folk outfit was one of the 18 pairs designed for Diljit’s Dil-Luminati North America tour.
“Our teams connected on a long-distance Zoom call in March this year, so we had about a month to execute this project, as Diljit’s tour began in April,” Rathore said, outlining the precarious play of proportions, colours and textures. “But we managed to get the proportions, colours and textures right in a simple sketch, which we made with swatches and fabrics. It was a priority project, and we had to ensure that the fabrics etc were shipped on time,” he added.
Of course, there was an order that dictated the editing: everything had to be in accordance with the The Pug with the TurtleDiljit shared with the designer. “I was very impressed to see how humble he is, and that he has values that excite a brand like ours. He emphasised on the idea of the clothes being simple, stylish, but at the same time, rooted in heritage,” says Rathore. He added that Diljit wanted the clothes to be bright and designed keeping in mind the cities where he would be performing.
Diljit wore a fitted kurta and tehmat for the show and paired it with sneakers and a harness. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kurta and Tehmat, copper or sheet The quintessential folk attire often worn by men in the hinterlands of Punjab and has been worn by legends of Punjabi music – from Lal Chand Yamla Jatt and Kuldeep Manak to Gurdas Maan and Surjit Bindrakhia – which gives the outfit a certain reminiscing value. This forms the basis of Diljit’s stage style grammar. However, he also adopts the western arch of the NRIs who defined fashion in Punjabi music in the late 90s and early 2000s with musicians like Sukhbir, Jazzy B, Dr Zeus and Bally Sagoo. Needless to say, the embroidered vest that completes the kurta-chadar look finds new expression in Diljit’s fashion vocabulary; it has been replaced by a harness (which actors like Timothée Chalamet, Michael B Jordan and the late Chadwick Boseman used to wear). The Punjabi jutti has been replaced by modern-day sneakers, which in fact became the reference point for Rathore to understand the colours of Diljit’s outfits.
Fabrics like cotton blend, silk and satin were used to create a special look for Diljit. Photo courtesy: Special Arrangement
He added, “Our focus was on the colours of her favourite shoes and also when you take a kurta that is traditionally worn with full sleeves to a very short length, you tighten up that area and the whole look becomes super contemporary.” One of the biggest challenges for the designer was to create an embroidered kurta that could withstand a three-four hour performance, including dancing, and be comfortable and itch-free. Rathore explains, “When you do some embroidery on a thin kurta fabric, you have to be careful because you are leaving the possibility of irritation inside the kurta – the thread goes inside and then comes back to the front of the outfit. We did a coat of embroidery that was a light textured one and then added sequins and shimmers on that layer.
He said that fabrics like cotton blends, silk and satin were used to create the special look for Diljit. He said, “A lot of attention was paid to the embroidery, taking inspiration from Kantha, Phulkari, Zardosi and many other traditional techniques, to create contemporary motifs and patterns that appeal on a global platform. Handmade textures provided the unique fabric base for the timeless look and feel of the overall outfits. We did cotton blends and textures and embroidery and some were just tailored.”
Diljit poses with TV show host Jimmy Fallon | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In fact, this is Rathore’s first experiment of designing clothes for a stage artist. “For films like ‘Dabangg’, ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’… Eklavya And Beautiful“One can understand that a film is made for a particular section, but composers like him work keeping every section of the society in mind. The whole concept should be about him and the brand should only act as a provider,” he added.
It is debatable that Diljit doesn’t have an army of stylists at his disposal, but he is crafting an outfit that exudes a sense of originality – a style statement that defines quintessential global fashion. Native Rock Star!
