He had just landed in Kochi and was about to have lunch, when DC caught up with acclaimed designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who was going to meet fashion enthusiasts at the India Fashion Summit 2016 held in Kerala.
“I come with the complete passion of a tourist,” says Sabyasachi, adding, “One good thing about Kerala is that the moment you alight, you feel that life has slowed down. I love the food, Ayurveda and water bodies of Kerala. My favourite hair oil is Neelibringadi kera thailam! Also, I had spent a month in Athirappilly shooting for Raavan.”
In the summit, he talked about the past, present and future of fashion industry. His stress was on converting heritage into luxury. “Indians need to be more proud of their innateness. That is the only way forward. The more you look inward, the more the international audience is going to get excited. There is no point in presenting to the West what they already know,” he elucidates.
And, he believes Kerala is the seat of organic fashion — “Every time I tell my actresses that if they want to be organic, they should wear gold jewellery and mallipoo along with Kerala kasavu saree. One of my visualisations of the Kerala saree was realised when Rani Mukherjee wore it for a Durga pooja. She draped it along with gold jewellery and a red bindi.” And Rani is his good friend. “She is my all-time favourite. We discuss everything except fashion and film. She is a friend I can depend on in a crisis. Our relationship has seen a journey that has not been affected by each other’s success. Deepika Padukone is also a good friend.”
Sabyasachi has presented Kareena Kapoor Khan as the show stopper at the recent Lakme Fashion Week. “We were working together for the first time and both of us were nervous and excited. Motherhood has softened her a lot. She looks beautiful. When women are pregnant, their inner glow comes out. I am happy that I found her at the right time,” says the designer who is also popular for his television show Band Baaja Bride in NDTV.
In the show, he gives a makeover to selected brides. “I have worked with south Indian brides, but not yet, a Kerala bride. I am really looking forward to working with a bride from Kerala,” says Sabyasachi. “I have always been very lucky. Everything happened to me at the right time. The difficult part of my journey was convincing my parents. Now, Bengali boys can show their parents Sabyasachi as a role model. But, I had no one during that time,” he signs off.
