There are wine reds, burgundies and deep blues; all with interesting tulips either embroidered on them or appliquéd in a stunning collection called Tulipmania. I’m looking at Nachiket Barve’s Autumn/Winter collection displayed at Chennai’s Evoluzione. The designer, who has curated a special collection titled Botanica, featuring shift dresses, crop tops, saris, anarkalis and kurtas for the store, is interacting with clients as they try on his creations from both collections.
“I have clients who are as young as two and my oldest is 78,” he smiles, proud of the wide spectrum he caters to. The designer, who won this year’s International Woolmark Prize, believes in fashion that is versatile, but more importantly focusses on utility. “And, it must not limit itself to a certain body type. I’ve got outfits that fit women from size XS to 4XL. I believe that fashion should be empathetic to today’s women. Fashion is often geared to make people feel inadequate; but I want to change that. My clothes are something you can easily slip into, regardless of who you are, and look your best,” he says.
Talking about Tulipmania, he says the idea came to him when he was looking at the concept of consumption. “The line is inspired by 17th Century Dutch art. I like stories and my clothes tell a story, they are what inspire and transport you; otherwise, clothes are just clothes. So, back then in Holland, there was a single bulb of Tulip that was so coveted that it cost as much as a house or a skill worker’s wages for a year. This was the Viceroy Tulip. And, suddenly one day, the whole craze crashed. That’s how fashion is, isn’t it? One day there’s a huge demand for something, and six months later, nobody’s even looking at it. My clothes are a reaction to that; they are something you can wear now and, hopefully, 10 years later.”
The line has gowns, capes, crop tops, jackets and dresses. While Botanica is also based on flowers, it plays with a lighter colour palette and celebrates the Turkish carnation and desert thistle, in terms of motifs. “Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ‘The Earth laughs in flowers.’ For me, flowers elicit joy. But, I never do it in a cutesy or direct way, where I put flowers on top. There’s a more classy approach — I’ve used shibori, appliqué, embroidery and French knots. There are many renditions of it.”
It is also his attempt at beating the kind of mass-produced world we live in, he says. “There’s no poetry any more in outfits. This cape, for instance, has taken about 1,800 hours of embroidery by hand. We have hand-punched each Merino wool felt and appliquéd it on georgette and then done beading all over (pointing to a cape in deep blue on a mannequin). The tulips on the cape have been arranged in a sort of circular symmetry, so it looks lyrical.”
According to Nachiket, there are three things that excite him as a designer. First, it is the concept. “It has to be something that inspires and tells a story. Second, the outfit should have a dialogue with the woman, where she feels beautiful, regardless of size or age. Third, it should celebrate technique in a way,” he says.
With his designs being touted as easy and effortless and something that can easily be worn off the runway, Nachiket says that it is a conscious effort. “What is the point of fashion if it isn’t usable? Then it would just be like looking at a beautiful buffet spread and realising that it is made of wax,” he smiles, adding, “Women today multi-task and handle a million things. Fashion should be easy and liberate them in a way. To me, fashion is a pill: something that has the power to transform not just how you look but also how you feel.”
Incidentally, the designer graduated in commerce before he decided to switch to fashion. “I come from a family of doctors. So, I am the mutation spawn,” he laughs, adding, “Fashion happened to me earlier, but it took me a while to figure out if I wanted to do it as a career. But then, I joined NID, which was a game changer. From there on, it was a scholarship to study in Paris and an internship with Celine.”
The designer, who feels he has evolved tremendously since he first started out, says he’d rather make pieces that are timeless. “Internationally too, the focus is shifting from trends to more timeless fashion. That’s how it should be. Maybe, buy a crop top that you can eventually team with your mother’s sari. Build a wardrobe with one piece of couture. We’ve got to rethink our over-consumption and discard lifestyle,” he says.
When he isn’t designing, Nachiket is revelling in the lap of Nature. “Things that nourish my soul are wildlife and Nature. I do a lot of wildlife photography and I’m going to Africa next month. I’m also a foodie, as is evident (laughing). I also cook; I learnt to make sushi from YouTube and I’m very experimental that way. I pick up ingredients wherever I travel and also grow my own herbs. Trekking is another thing I enjoy; I’ve been to the Everest base camp and also to the Kanchenjunga base camp,” he says.
