"Most of my creative life has been about expressing and desiring reaction," says designer Paul Ropp, who knows that one thing guaranteed to get a reaction is a dazzling display of color.
The fabrics swirl and shimmer in a riot of color and movement. One beautiful Balinese model after another dances, sashays or struts down the runway, this one in a silky turquoise bra and matching boxer shorts, that one in a pink crop top and flip skirt, another in a soft blue-green evening dress - all in unique outfits united by a common theme and flavor.
Such was "Colors on the Runway", a gala show of Paul Ropp's eponymous collection held in Bali last month, featuring a cruciform catwalk over a swimming pool, a bevy of Balinese models and an audience of the rich and famous from across the world.
Color was the name and color was the game - Ropp's clothes start with distinctive and bright hand-woven fabrics imported from India.
"I try to make an interesting fabric, and from an interesting fabric I try to keep it simple," he says. The result is a range of unstructured and unconventional clothes that make the people who wear them stand out.
As for trends, Ropp professes himself uninterested. He says he used to try to keep up but "I ended up chasing my tail". Now he just does what he likes.
"Fashion is dead," he says. "People want to feel good, they want to feel comfortable. They want people to say, *I like what you're wearing', admire them for their braveness in wearing it."
And yes, he admits, to wear Paul Ropp, "You gotta be a little brave." Because you can be sure you will get a reaction
For this self-described "provocateur", getting a reaction is what it's all about. After all, this is the man who, in 1960s USA, after a stint as a roadie (he was at Woodstock, "the real one!") made his first bundle of money by printing the US flag on cigarette papers; lighting up meant burning the flag. The reaction to that particular provocation ranged from a pictorial spread in Rolling Stone magazine to undue interest from the FBI.
Eventually, things got too hot, so "I went to India, the money ran out, and I started making T-shirts that are now in museums".
That was the 1970s. Thirty years on, you won't see a T-shirt anywhere in his collection. What you will see are layers of color in all sorts of shapes and styles. Many are unstructured - he describes his favorite outfit in the collection as "a bunch of fabric wrapped around a woman".
He admits to having no design background. What he does have, he says, is "a little bit of creativity and a major quantity of survival and perseverance". It helps, he adds, being in Bali, "the most creative place on planet Earth".
With its fabrics and eclectic shapes, the Paul Ropp collection features elements of India and Indonesia, of gypsies in Europe and princesses in Africa, with a touch of the flamenco and a dash of ancient Rome. Against the rhythm of the energetic tribal beats, watching the collection is like recalling a whirlwind world tour, where the details merge to create something new, the borders between experiences blurred. (You can download a video of the show at www.paulropp.com/promo-movie.html).
This international flavor is part of the label's ethos. Collaboration is a big part of Ropp's business and his show. After all, this is a business that imports fabric hand-woven in villages in India to be stitched together by Indonesians, and exported "to 42 countries around the world". For Ropp, this very collaboration is an inspiration.
"My muses are the people of Indonesia and India," he says. "When you think about it, collaborating in this environment, between two countries that have complete different cultures, and feeding so many people off their own creativity, and being part of that . I'm lucky to be here."
The pieces in the collection range from long hippie skirts to mini dresses, via harem pants, bustiers and ponchos. The line includes underwear, also made from the colorful hand-woven and embroidered fabrics, to be worn under the transparent blouses.
Indeed, the collection covers all needs, from underwear to beach wear to lounge wear to street wear to evening wear, in moods ranging from flirty to sultry and playful to sexy.
And although Ropp's designs tend to crop up in boutiques in the world's sunny spots - Ibiza, Maldives, Caribbean - among them are winter pieces ("we call it *sun cold'") such as wool jackets and knee-high boots.
Without departing from the bright colors and soft transparent fabrics, Ropp has plenty on offer for the men. His male models at the Bali show were muscle-bound surfers scouted on the beaches; while some looked a tad bemused to find themselves in a fashion show, their masculinity was not diminished by the colorful shirts. Ropp has numerous tales of men who initially resisted wearing his clothes until, convinced by a wife or girlfriend to give them a try, they were converted, delighted to free themselves from the monochrome strictures of a business suit.
Indeed, the whole family can turn out in color. The show featured brightly dressed boys zipping down the runway on skateboards, the girls smiling shyly among them; what is risqu* on a nubile model is adapted to become a pretty and fun sundress on a little girl.
And all of the clothes, despite the diversity of their inspirations or shape, are united by similar descriptions: functional, soft, eclectic, unstructured and always, always, colorful.
Because, as Ropp says, "Color incites reaction."
"Gray and black also incite reaction, but what is the reaction? You get depressed," he adds. "Look at color, and you smile."
