Ace fashion designer Ritu Beri unveiled two books documenting her 25 eventful years in fashion amidst friends and family, in a nostalgic ceremony here last evening.
Beri has penned down her personal journey throwing light on the evolution of the world of fashion, in the two books titled, "The Designs of A Restless Mind" and "The Fire of A Restless Mind."
The books were launched by Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, Minister of Minority Affairs Najma Heptullah, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi and Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant among others, all of who she said, were her "very close friends."
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The 38-year-old designer, who went on to become the first Asian designer to head the French fashion brand, Jean-Louis Scherrer, said, "I am feeling awesome. I have friends from all over the place. I have my friends from the fraternity, I have my mentor, my school teacher and my daughter here. It is a full circle moment. But, I still feel young and I think I have a lot to do."
"I want everybody to read the book. It is a fun book and a simple read," she said.
The designer is currently one of the advisors on Minority ministry's USTAD (Upgradation of Skills and Training in Ancestral Arts/Crafts for DevelopmentP) programme that is aimed at upgrading and promoting the skills of artisans from the minority community.
Taking cue from the titles of Beri's books, Heptullah
said, "She has a great restless soul which makes her do things out of the box. She has a real fire, not just in her heart but also in her eyes. Nobody ever thought the minority ministry will have Ritu Beri as one of its advisors!"
The evening also saw several of Beri's friends from different parts of India and abroad, reading parts from the book.
The city-based designer who had been awarded the French honour Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her contribution to the fashion industry, has dressed international names like former US President Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Moulin Rouge, Nicole Kidman, besides notable Indian celebrities like Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukherji, Preity Zinta, Parmeshwar Godrej and Shobha De among others.
She also penned and published India's most expensive book titled, "Firefly - A Fairytale," which was priced at Rs 1 lakh. Only 100 copies of the book were brought out in India. It chronicled Beri's experiences in Paris that were instrumental in shaping her fashion career, besides talking about topics like architecture, history, women and their beauty.
Lekhi who has known the designer since the beginning of her career in 1990 said, "She is someone who is a thorough professional. And for being a professional it doesn't mean the quality of exterior capacity but more of your intellect. And those are the qualities that make her a brand."
"She represents brand India to me and she represents what I would like India to be represented outside the country. Mostly people are selling poverty and here she is selling luxury to the outsiders," Lekhi said.
Actors Anupam Kher and Raza Murad, and bureacrat Amitabh Kant also chipped in with anecdotes from their respective experiences with the designer.
"I find her extremely charming and extremely gracious. She brings in energy, vibrancy and dynamism with her," Kant said.
