Take two boys and four karigars. Blend inspiration with hard work. The result: leather belts with hanging tassels, linen bustiers, old brocade sarees that turn into trendy skirts and tie-up tops.
Royce Pappachan and Raj Shroff are in fact, already set with their award-winning speeches: "We'd like to thank our friends and parents for their support." Not premature, considering that one day they plan to be on the ramps at Paris.
For starters, their line, Ravages, is already available at Ffolio and Cinammon. "We started with accessories and moved into clothing," says 22-year-old Royce, who is studying computers. Raj, is a fashion student and the two have known each other since childhood. What started as a hobby, slowly turned into a full-time job for these enthusiastic youngsters, who are willing to work with any kind of fabric.
"Give us old sarees and we'll make something funky. Our metallic yarns give garments an ancient Mughal look," says Raj. Their tussar jackets can be worn over bustiers and look dressy because of the gold work. The peasant tops in transparent linen don't look bulky and can be worn over a pair of blue jeans. Anything turns into something.
But there's more to their story. "Since both our names begin with the alphabet R, we asked a friend to think of a name for our garments. She said Ravage and when I told my mom about it. she said it could mean `Ravage' in English and `Rivaj' in Hindi (tradition)," Raj explains. They stuck with the name, giving it a byline, "tradition of fashion".

Royce says they love working with leather, and Indian embroidery fascinates them. "Thanks to our fairy godmother Janice from Cinammon, we also dream of a show in Paris.