Saturday, December 29, 2012

Coverage by DNA, a national daily :)

DNA Feature! 
http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx?pgNo=5&edcode=820004&eddate=2012-12-30
Wearable Art - Sananya Chavda
"Adding a quirky touch to boring footwear is 20-year-old Karan Vohra, an engineering student with a flair for the fine arts. The student who started off by designing for himself, began taking orders for shoe art about a year ago, and when he’s not using footwear as his medium, he works on book/journal covers and paintings in charcoal, oil pastels, and acrylics. “My shoes may be considered a style statement but to me it’s another way of exposing people to art. Before starting I spend time interacting with the customer finding out his/her likes and dislikes, inspirations and so on,” says Karan, whose first design was of Argentinian leader Che Guevara. Some of his other works include those based on pop icons Madonna, Pink Floyd, Britney Spears and even the television show The Simpsons.
“The colours are important, infact I think they often speak more than the illustrations. For The Simpsons shoes I used bright fresh colours like blue and orange to bring the characters to life. Even adding coloured laces can make a difference,” he says, explaining that he uses acrylic colours mixed with chemicals to ensure the designs last. Karan is clear about sticking to custom-designed footwear as for him it’s about the creativity behind each piece, and he doesn’t want it to get too commercialised.
Customers can provide the shoes and while some designs are completed in a day, others can take upto a week depending on the complexity. “One of the most challenging assignments was when a customer wanted his shoes based on singer Adele’s song Rolling In The Deep. I incorporated a few lyrics from the song, along with drawings of burning buildings, and shallow waters to capture the meaning behind it,” he says." "-Sanaya Chavda

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