All his life he wanted to be a sportsperson or a film director; getting into designing was quite an accident. Coming from a family that has been in the Kanchipuram saris business for around five generations now, his parents wanted him to be an engineer or a doctor.
“This was never an option for me. I decided to take the NIFT examination. I qualified and managed to convince my parents that fashion designing was a viable option,” says Satkrit. They gradually came around as it is in line with their family business.
Taking off
Designing for movies was not new for Satkrit as he had been a costume advisor in his college days for “Kanavu Meipada Vendum” and “Kurukshetram”.
After completing his degree from NIFT, Satkrit has got a few offers from the movie industry and the first project he took up was for a movie called “Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu”. He has also designed costumes for the movie “Kedi”.
Having graduated from NIFT, and completing his Masters in Fashion Brand Management from Marangoni, Milan, today Satkrit Krishna is all set to launch his own line named “Satkrit”, a high fashion woman's wear line.
The inspiration for Satkrit comes from a lady who had approached their store to make a dress out of the sari. Satkrit designed her dress which was appreciated by many. And that's when it struck him that since saris were slipping behind the ethnic banner he should do something about it and not let a fabric like this die. It was then that he seriously considered using the silk to create another product line instead of working on silk itself!
He then started making garments for the tourists which were an instant hit and he decided to study the retail part of it for starting a business. This took him to Milan. Armed with the exposure there to brands like Calvin Klein, Lanvin and Sonia Rykiel, he decided to return to India.
Though the first year was a struggle he managed to break the jinx at the Chennai International Fashion week. The response was great as he was judged one of the best débuts and his line took off in a big way, at least in Chennai. When asked about the celebrities he designs for, Prasanna, VJ Paloma and Chinmayi topped the list.
Satkrit's calling is to dress up women and he prefers designing cocktail dresses over others. Describing them as chic, feminine, dressy and elegant, he says the line he's currently working on won't be heavily embellished and the ‘bling' effect will also be controlled.
Indian influence
Satkrit's line of cocktail clothing subscribes to a mix of European and Indian fashion wherein the Indian embroidery will be used in a contemporary way on a monochrome garment!
As a designer he would let his clients decide what they want to wear and would refrain from giving suggestions unless inevitable. Satkrit has taken designing to yet another level, as he can now proudly boast of designing the uniforms for the staff of The Spring. Another feather in his cap is he is responsible for the look of the children at Orchid International School in Triuchi. Future plans include furnishing lines and embroidered neckpieces. Satkrit is busy planning creating market awareness towards building a niche by creating an alternative product line to Kanchipuram saris.
Priced between Rs. 4000 and Rs. 25, 000, his line is totally inspired by Kanchipuram silk. Be it the zari on the border or the jacquard design on the fabric or the plain fabric itself — they will all be used. A hard core movie buff and a people's person, he is also a fitness freak and loves to socialise when he's not working. And as he rightly puts it, he is definitely high on life!
