She has designs on you

It all started when Hoofrish Bisney’s daughter Arnaz wanted a particular design on her T-shirt and Bisney painted it for her. After that there was no looking back, writes Secunderabad’s Beyniaz Edulji, in a report in the Deccan Post of August 14-20, 2009, a copy of which was forwarded to Parsiana by Jehangir R. Bisney.

"Though I am a graduate of commerce from Bombay, art and craft have always fascinated me and I have a natural talent to experiment with new designs and colors,” Bisney told Edulji. "I have inherited this talent from my parents Dr Kersi and Mehroo Hozdar and my grandparents. I have experience in teaching art and craft to students at pre-primary school level,” says the self-taught Bisney.

Making one-of-a-kind clothes at her residence cum work place in Secun-derabad, Bisney personalizes clothes for those who do not want the usual run-of-the-mill chain store stuff. She uses colors that last and fabrics which are machine washable. Among her clientele is the Secunderabad based Parsi fashion designer Zubin Vakil who appreciates her skills as he gets exactly what he wants in terms of fabric, color and design. He even wore a T-shirt painted by her for his latest television interview.

Bisney told Edulji, "After painting the first T-shirt for my daughter Arnaz, the next one was for my son Shayan and the rest of the family members including my husband Jehangir who is very particular about his manner of dressing.” Family and friends then suggested she go commercial. "All T-shirts are exclusively designed and painted by me alone. Each one is customized... The stroke of the brush is different on each garment. You get an exclusive piece of artwork on fabric!” Despite a very wide range of designs from which one can select, Bisney is willing to paint a design of the user’s choice, as she did when her brother Urmez and his family sent her motifs of their choice via e-mail from the USA, mentions Edulji.

Bisney has put up her T-shirts for sale at selected venues including the Zoroastrian Stree Mandal’s February Fiesta 2009 and at The Parsi Dharamsala during October 2009. As the garments are reasonably priced, visitors made a bee-line for her stall, fascinated by the unique designs. Children love to get their T-shirts painted with their names and favorite cartoon characters. Many visitors to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad carry these exclusive pieces as gifts for family and friends abroad.

From extreme right: Shayan, Arnaz and Hoofrish Bisney wearing colorful T-shirts painted by Hoofrish; (above) samples of her creations

Prices, which begin at Rs 200, depend on the design and the time involved in painting. Exclusivity makes people flock to Bisney for repeat orders. She paints on kurtis, jeans, dresses or other outfits if the material is starch-free, as well as on jute bags. She makes craft items like pen stands, gift boxes, wall-hangings, etc. Bisney puts aside 15 percent of her earnings for charity, using the money for the medical treatment of poor, sick and needy patients, Edulji reveals.

Teaching calligraphy to school children on an honorary basis, Bisney says she enjoys interacting with children, helping them develop good handwriting and correcting their faulty writing habits. She also runs the Graceful Finishing School where she conducts grooming classes for ladies, teaching them etiquette, table manners, napkin folding, conversational skills, skin care and make-up, spot reducing exercises and a lot more which one does not get to learn during academic courses in schools and colleges.

Bisney can be contacted at Stepping Stones, 76 Park View Enclave, Mano-vikas Nagar, Hashmatpet Road, Secun-derabad 500009 and on the telephone at +40 27755333 and +91 98493 38101 (between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.).