“In the fashion industry, there are no breakthroughs; the journey to the top is a process and it’s never-ending,” says designer Kunal Rawal. From styling the men in the fashionable film Aisha to being the go-to designer for Sonam Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor among others, Kunal Rawal is a name that often comes up in the social media updates of his high-flying clients.
Hyderabad calling
Though based in Mumbai, the designer was spotted in the city earlier this week. He launched his line at Angasutra, an event also attended by Sooraj Pancholi, and also styled a look for Allu Arjun in a song from Sarainodu. “Even though I have a lot going on, I feel that creative people are born to do different things. It’s when I am working on a label, styling a look or working on a costume for a movie that I feel most excited and happy,” he says.
With his sister Sasha married to Samarth Bajaj, a businessman in Hyderabad, the designer is more than happy to come down to the city more often. “Hyderabad has a good market. Last year, a lot of my clients were from the city. To keep up with the demand it only made sense to open a store here.”
Making waves
Kunal is one of the very few designers who make androgynous style fashionably appealing. From Sonam Kapoor’s look at the Neerja Bhanot Award to Shahid Kapoor’s slick ensemble during his wedding, Kunal’s designs are based on subtle yet effective innovations. And each and every garment has a print or a message inside. “Men are stickler for details and this one’s just for them.”
Even though the designer specialises in men’s wear, his clothes can be customised for both men and women, and this applies to even his collection in the city.
Passion for fashion
Growing up in a family that deals in garment export, Rawal admits that he always knew that he wanted to work in the fashion industry. He then went on to specialise in fashion design and merchandising from London College of Fashion.
In 2006, Rawal became one of the youngest designers ever to debut at the Lakme Fashion Week at the age of 26. “In school, we used to get these charts with ‘Punjabi’ or ‘Gujarati’ couple etc. illustrated on them and I would try to sketch alongside different silhouettes for them.”
And though years have passed since then, Rawal admits that his passion for fashion design fails to diminish. “Next in the line is designing a contemporary line of India wear,” he says.
