What a nice girl,” is seldom the line heard about a fashion designer. That’s how celebrated Delhi-based stylist Gautam Kalra describes Rimzim Dadu. As former official stylist at Lakmé Fashion Week, he had worked on a young Dadu’s earliest shows in the late 2000s. “I remember her as a timid designer, but one who had a larger-than-life voice that she expressed through her clothes,” says Kalra, calling her a “genius” designer. “She’s my go-to person when I’m looking for visually brilliant garments for my editorial shoots.” 

To celebrate 15 years in the industry, Dadu, 36, decided that a showing of her clothes would be accompanied by Rite of Passage, an exhibition of her work at Delhi’s Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) on August 27. David Abraham of the revered Abraham & Thakore brand was present at the event. “Her designs are culturally rooted yet modern. It’s fascinating how she turns Indian clothing contents, like the sarees, into something modern like the metallic cord sarees [seen at KNMA show]. These are style ideas that cross boundaries between craft and art,” he adds.