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CelebritydesignerSabyasachiMukherjeeisweavinghismagicovera
clutchofprestigiousprojects
BYSHREYASHUKLA
HEN SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE TELLS YOU “THE BU-
sinesshasboomed”,thisiswhathemeans:hisbridalbusinessisbursting
atitsseamsandhe’slocationspottinginSoHo,NewYork,forhisseventh
flagshipstore.Also,heplanstolaunchajewellerylinenextyearandhe’ll
eventuallystickafingerintothehospitalitypie.
“I’mstrugglingtoholdthereinsofthebusinessbecauseithasexploded.
We’vebeenaccountingalmosta35to40percentgrowtheveryyear,”he
says.AndwillhesoonbeheadingaRs100-crorefashionempire?“We’re
gettingtherethisyear.Itmightbeslightlybeloworupbyacroreortwo,
butwe’redefinitelygoingtohitthefigure,”saysthe39-year-olddesigner.
Ithasbeenalongjourney—butaveryrapidone—forthemiddle-
classBengaliboyfromKakinara,atownnearCalcuttathatmostpeople
wouldneedtoGoogle.Todayhe’soneofthemostcelebrateddesignersof
theIndianfashionindustryandevenhasaglobalfootprint.Intermsof
sheersize,he’sfaraheadofthepack.
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COUTUREKING
(CLOCKWISEFROMABOVE)SABYASACHI’SNEWESTFLAGSHIPSTOREINHYDERABADFLAUNTSTHESIGNATUREVINTAGECHARMOF
HISOTHERSTORES;THEDESIGNERSHOWCASEDLIMITEDEDITIONCREATIONSLIKESHOES,MINIATUREINDIANHANDBAGSANDCOATSAT
THEINSPIREDBYINDIAEXHIBITIONATSOTHEBY’S,LONDON,LASTYEAR
traditionalIndianweavesfromkhadito
kanjeevarams,andmethodsliketheaaritari
embroidery.Hefocusedonthisformofem-
broideryinhisLFWcollectionandOpium,
hisshowatthePCJDelhiCoutureWeek
2013.Deconstructed,taraarehand-cut
golden,silverandcoppersequinswhileaariis
thestitchusedtoputthemonthefabric.
Theideaofrevivingandweavingitinto
hautecouturewasbornwhenthedesigner
spottedaGreekwomaninColabadressedin
ablackcottondresswithanoldaaritaristole
drapedacrosshershoulders—lookinglike
amirageinthesultryMumbaiheat.Itwas
incorporatedintoacollectionmeanttorecre-
ateroyalglamour.
Sabyasachi’srisehasbeenlittleshortof
meteoric.Hehaswoninternationalrecogni-
tionandhastakenpartatthreeoftheglobe’s
leadingfashionweeks—NewYork,London
andMilan.Lastyearhewaspickedtobepart
ofanexhibitionatSotheby’s,London,and
evendesignedtheinteriorsofanewsuitein
London’sluxuryhotel51BuckinghamGate,
TajSuitesandResidences.ThisAugust,he
presentedthegrandfinaleofLakméFashion
WeekWinter/Festive2013.
Andthenthere’sBollywood.Hestyled
theprotagonistsoftwoofthebiggesthitslast
year:VidyaBalanasthepregnantwomanin
searchofhermissinghusbandinKahaani,
andSrideviinhercomebackmachineEnglish
Vinglish.EarlierhepickeduptheNational
Awardforbestcostumewiththefirstfilm
projectheundertook,SanjayLeelaBhansali’s
Blackbackin2005.Besidesthathehasnames
likeRaavan,Guzaarish,PaaandNoOneKilled
Jessicainhiskitty.Offscreen,thedesigner’s
clientlistincludesthecreamofB-townaswell
asinternationalstarslikeOprahWinfrey,
whosportedasaribyhimatadinnerhosted
byJaipur’sroyalsattheCityPalacelastyear.
Clearly,he’sthemanofthemoment.
Sowhat’sthesecretofhissuccess?“One
ofthereasonsthisbrandhasdonesowell
overtheyearsisbecausewe’vestoppedbeing
overtlyfashionable.Wedon’ttoethelineof
fashion,”saysSabyasachi.
HehaschampionedIndiantextilesand
craftandturnedhimselfintothego-tobrand
foranyonelookingforanIndianclassic.It’s
thecornerstoneofhisempire.“TheIndian
customerisnotabigfanoffad,”hesays.It’shis
classicsthathavebecomethebrand’sforté.
Hetalksabouttheanarkalisthatthebrand
hasbeenchurningoutforadecadebutwhich
arestillitsbestseller.“Theshortandlong
kurtashavecomeandgonebuttheanarkaliis
heretostay,thesarisareheretostayandthe
lehenagasariisbecomingoneofourclassics.”
Sabyasachiisalsoknownforrevisiting
TheIndianclassic
hasbeenSabyasachi’s
forté,withsaris
andanarkalisbeing
consistentbestsellers
“Ourstatementforwinterfestive2013—
AbsoluteRoyal—isaboutmodernroyalty
andSabyasachiwasthebestfitforthetheme.
Hissignaturecollectionshavetimeandagain
recreatedthemagicoftheroyalwardrobes
andwithhimasourgrandfinaledesignerwe
wereconfidentthattheLFWWF2013finale
wouldbeauniqueexperience,”saysPurnima
Lamba,HeadofInnovation,Lakmé.
Buthealsousesfabricslikevelvetfrom
ChinaandtullefromFrance.“Oneshouldn’t
beparochialabouthandicrafts.Ialsodeal
withtextilesfromAfrica,MexicoandCam-
bodia,andwetrytobringtheseelementsinto
ourcollections,”saysthedesigner.
Sabyasachihashissignaturestyle
aesthetic.Hismodelssashaydowntheramp
sportingsariswithgeekglassesorshades,and
hemadethefullsleeveblouse,ifnotcovering
up,fashionable.Thisyear,heintroducedthe
quiltedlehengas,women’sbandhgalasandthe
sariteemedwithstripedtee-shirts.Though
heconfessesthatnumberslikethecalf-length
chotusari,thatfellbythewayside,werecreat-
edto“grabeyeballs”,heexpectsthewomen’s
bandhgalatobecomethenewclassic.
“Loyaltytoabrandisrareinfashionbut
aSabyaclientisaloyalist.I’veseenanentire
collectionsoldinlessthanadayattheDelhi
CoutureWeekheldattheGrandHoteltwo
yearsago,”saysSunilSethi,president,Fashion
DesignCouncilofIndia.Pricepointsmatteras
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well.“Sabyasachihasunderstoodthebusiness
offashionverywell.Heappealstothewell-
heeledaswellasthemid-levelcustomer,and
alotofsaleshavecomethroughintheunder-3
lakhensemblebracket,”saysSethi.
Butthedesignerstillpinsthe“furious
pace”atwhichhisbrandhasgrowninthe
pastcoupleofyearstothemarket.“Indiais
goingthroughitsownphaseofreinvention
withIndiansdiscoveringtheartofbeing
Indianalloveragain,”hesays.Andhemakes
nobonesabouthismarketingacumen.
“Morethansomeonewholovesheritage,
I’malsoashrewdmarketeer.Iwouldn’thave
beenmarketingheritageifIdidn’tunder-
standthatIndianswantedtodiscoveritall
overagain,”hesayssmiling.
Whichisalsowhyhe’sabouttostarthisjew-
ellerylinethat’llconsistofrestorationpieces
andculturaljewelleryfromdifferentpartsof
thecountry.Thinkgottapusalu(whichtrans-
latesintoabunchofpearls)fromHyderabad,
theBengalimantashaandtheMaharashtrian
nath—someofwhichwillberealantiques.
Theonetalked-aboutdealthathasn’t
happenedisthetie-upwithLCapital(a
privateequityfundsponsoredbytheLVMH
GroupandGroupeArnault).“Idon’tthink
mycompanyisreadyforprivateequity.We’re
doingsowellthatitisn’ttherighttimeforme
todilutemystake,”saysthedesigner.Buthe
doesplantostartaprêtlineby2015,aswellas
ahomeline.
COUTUREKING
THEBESPOKEINTERIORSOFTHECINEMASUITEOF51BUCK-
INGHAMGATE,TAJSUITES&RESIDENCES,LONDON,DESIGNED
BYSABYASACHILASTYEARANDAREINSPIREDBYFILMSFROM
AROUNDTHEWORLD
COUTUREKING
(FROMFARLEFT)MODELS
SCORCHTHERAMPIN
INTRICATELYEMBROIDERED
SABYASACHICREATIONSAT
THELAKMÉFASHIONWEEK
WINTER/FESTIVE2013GRAND
FINALE;THEANDROGYNOUS
WOMEN’SBANDHGALA
WASANEWENTRANTINTHE
DESIGNER’SCOLLECTIONTHIS
YEAR
(BELOW)AARITARI
EMBROIDERYWASTHEFOCUS
OFTHEOPIUMCOLLECTION
SHOWCASEDATTHEPCJDELHI
COUTUREWEEK2013
Asforhisotherupcomingproject,the
NewYorkstore,heplansittohaveamixof
bothIndianandWesternclothes,perhaps
evenwithsarisandtrenchcoatshanging
sidebyside.“It’sgoingtobeaveryarrogant
Indianstorethatinviteseverybody,blackor
white,IndianorWestern.Ifyou’reopeninga
storeinSoHo,you’rebasicallyopeningyour
doortothewholeworld,”saysSabyasachi.
Hehasfamouslydescribedhiscollections
ashaving‘anInternationalstylingwithan
Indiansoul’,andusesalotofIndianfabrics
eveninWesternsilhouettes.
“WhatsetsSabyasachiapartformeishis
abilitytocombineaveryIndianaesthetic
withacontemporarytwist.Itneverfeels
‘ethnic’butmoreuniqueandhighlyoriginal,”
saysJaniceBlackburn,curatoroftheInspired
byIndiaexhibitioninSotheby’s.
TheexperienceatSotheby’swasaneye-
openerforSabyasachi.Hehadputuplimited
editionshawls,miniatureIndianhandbags,
shoes,coatsandsaris,somepricedabove
2,000GBP(Rs2lakhapprox.).Mostofthese
werepickedupwithinthefirsttwohours,
andnotasinglecustomerwasofAsianorigin.
“WhenyoubuysomethingbySabyayou
areacquiringamodernheirloom,whether
it’saweddingsari,shawlorembroidered
bag,”saysBlackburn.
Itisn’tallrose-tintedthough.Thedesigner
andVidyaBalanwerelambastedforthe
lookstheactresssportedattheCannesred
carpetthisyear,rightfromthegrandma
pearlstothecoveredheadlooktothenose
ring.BashingSabyaseasonreigned,withthe
lookshecreatedbeinggreetedwithadjec-
Sabyasachihas
revivedtheaari
tarimethodof
embroideryforhis
royalty-inspired
collectionthisyear
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tivesrangingfrom‘matronly’to‘aunty’.He’s
candidaboutthefactthatyou’vetoucheda
rawnervethemomentyoumentionit.But
herationalisesit,sayingtheywereaheadof
theirtimeandwillbeapplaudedbysociety
historiansfiveyearsdowntheline.
Sabyasachialsoventuredintointeriorslast
yearwhenhedesignedtheinteriorsofthenew
CinemaSuiteof51BuckinghamGate,Taj
Suites&Residences,London.Inspiredbyfilms
fromaroundtheglobe,the1,832sqftspacehas
vintagefurnitureandthesignatureSabyatoo-
much-to-take-in-at-one-glancelook.“TheCin-
emaSuiteisanexpressionofworldcinemaina
veryglamoroussettingandSabyasachibeinga
fashiondesignerofinternationalcalibre,with
arichrepertoireofclassicyetcontemporary
works,wasafittingchoice,”saystheluxury
hotel’sgeneralmanagerDigvijaySingh.
Foramanwhostartedhiseponymousla-
belin1999withtwo-and-a-halfworkers(one
workedpart-time),henowsaysheemploys
1,700inhisCalcuttafactory,andindirectly,
about47,000peoplethroughoutthecountry.
Thisincludespeoplewhoweave,embroider,
COUTUREKING
(FROMFARLEFT)PINK
ISN’TTABOOINTHEMALE
WARDROBEFORSABYASACHI
WHOSELFWCOLLECTION
INCLUDEDTHISPRINT-ON-
PINKBANDHGALAWITH
MATCHINGCHURIDARAND
SHOES;THEACEDESIGNER
TAKESABOWDURINGTHE
LFWGRANDFINALE
(BELOW)SABYASACHIGIVES
FINISHINGTOUCHESTOONE
OFVIDYABALAN’SCANNES
REDCARPETLOOKS
printanddyeforhim.
Themajorturningpointinhislifewas
gettingthroughtheentranceexamofthe
NationalInstituteofFashionTechnology,
Calcutta.Itmeanthedidn’thavetobecome
adoctororengineerlikehisparentswanted.
“Iwasawildchild,Igavemyparentshell,”he
says.IttookhimfouryearstopassClassXI
becausehekeptrunningawayfromschool,
eventoGoaonce.Hesoldhisbookstobuythe
admissionformforNIFTbecausehisparents
refusedtopayforit.“ThenIgotthroughNIFT
andbecamesaneagain,”hesayswithasmile.
Today,hisfatherhandlesthefinancesofhis
businesswhilehis“IronLady”sisterPayallooks
aftertherestructuringandreorganisingofthe
company.Andthedesignerworksfrom9amto
Thedesigneris
planningtostarta
jewellerylinenext
yearwithafocuson
realantiquesand
traditionaldesigns
10pmonanaverage,sometimesevenmore.
“AttentiontodetailiswhatSabyaisallabout.
I’veseenhimworknon-stopfromnineatnight
tillfourinthemorningjustonashow’sset;the
clothesareofcoursea24x7job,”saysSethi.
However,healsobelievesthatthedesignerhas
risenabovedailyproductionhasslestoconcen-
trateondesignandstrategicmarketing.
Describedasarisk-takerbyhissister,his
biggestgambleintherecentpastwasdoing
theshowBandBaajaaBridewithSabyasachifor
NDTVGoodTimes.“IwantedtobringIndian-
nessbacktotheIndianweddingandrealisedit
wouldbebestdonethroughaTVshow,”hesays.
He’sevenpennedthescriptforafilm
withFarhanAkhtarinmindandstartedthe
SabyasachiArtFoundationlastyeartosup-
portstrugglingartists.
Despitethejam-packedschedule,heper-
sonallymeetsclientsduringbridalorfestive
promotionsheldeveryseasoninhisCalcutta,
Delhi,MumbaiandHyderabadflagship
stores.Thatspellsabout35bridalappoint-
mentsineachcity,spreadoverthreedays.
Ahautecouturebusinessthat’s“exploded”,
prêt,jewelleryandhomelinesonthemenu,
anartfoundation,televisionprogrammeand
nowafilmscript—Sabyasachishowsno
signsofslowingdown.
Wheredoesheseehimselftenyearsfrom
now?“DressingupalotofIndiaandabitofthe
world.Andtenyearsfromnow,alotofpeople
willsaythatcoveringyourheadisthewayto
be,”saysthegame-changerwithasmile. P
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