Just this last week, there was much uproar about Kate Middleton’s wardrobe on her official visit to India and Bhutan. Columns were written on the labels she wore, her style analysed piece by piece. Fashion pundits made predictions before her trip on the lucky designers that the royal might choose to wear. One name that was prophesised repeatedly was Bibhu Mohapatra. “It was so bizarre. How did this happen, why are people speculating?” Mohapatra asks me quizzically when I question the rumours on the Duchess of Cambridge’s plans on wearing his label.
Here’s why.
Ever since Michelle Obama stepped off Air Force One in New Delhi with a smile and a wave in a floral Bibhu Mohapatra sheath, his has been the label of choice for stylists looking to score sartorially correct brownie points in Indo-western diplomacy for their celebrity clients.
For the small-town guy from the steel town of Rourkela, who’s currently living the American dream in New York where his company is headquartered, this was the moment of homecoming. With Mrs Obama signalling a positive message in India-US relations through her outfit, Bibhu Mohapatra, the brand, critically acclaimed since inception in international fashion press, was finally given its due in major Indian dailies.
Since the FLOTUS endorsement, Priyanka Chopra has worn his belted dress at the United Nations Foundation Global Leadership Dinner and Freida Pinto was seen in a yellow Bibhu gown at the Global India gala Girl Rising campaign. “If [being politically correct] is the thinking behind it then it’s a good thing. There’s actually a common element to it, all these women are strong and have a voice, they make a difference and they need support when it comes to how they present themselves. I give them that support with my clothes,” he says.
The 43-year-old Odiya designer is currently in Mumbai for the launch of his new collaboration with Forevermark diamonds, Artemis. Indirectly, Mohapatra has the First Lady to thank for this new deal, reports Women’s Wear Daily (WWD). Apparently, the Bibhu ensemble Ms Obama wore to greet Mr Modi, sealed the deal.
Mohapatra explains: “The opportunity first started as a conversation with the team at Forevermark and I wanted to work with them because they have the most incredible diamonds, which are very responsibly sourced. Less than one per cent of the world’s diamonds qualify to be called Forevermark diamonds so that was very reassuring; it kind of solidified the whole concept for me.”
Jewellery is new territory for Mohapatra. “My first sort of creative encounter with jewellery was when my mother brought out some of our family heirloom jewels from a red potli. I was moved by the idea that I was connected to generations whose stories these jewels were telling,” he says.
Jewellery became symbolic instead of decorative. Inspired by the idea of destiny and Vedic alignments of the sun, moon and the stars, Mohapatra looked to the skies to design a line that represented compatibility in relationships with astronomical symbols. These ardently designed pieces will be paired with looks from his Autumn/Winter 16-17 collection that were inspired by Empress Cixi of China, a divisive figure in Chinese history who started out as a concubine and wound up ruling the country until her death in 1908.
Mohapatra, who has made the shapely power dress his signature silhouette, is drawn to strong women with exciting lives; we see that each season with his lines.
Stories of shipping heiress and political activist, Nancy Cunard, Bauhaus-era journalist and photographer Annemarie Schwarzenbach, French sculptor Camille Claudel and Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne have been cut and shaped into elegant ensembles. He maintains a library, fervently reading and finding muses in tales. “They’re imperfect but have an important story of strength, power and creativity to tell.” Power and femininity are two recurring themes in his collections that he tells through tailored shoulders juxtaposed with a delicate waistline.
The women in his life have also played a huge role in shaping his journey. Experimenting on his mother’s Singer sewing machine as a teen, Mohapatra’s first client was his sister, who he dressed for a family wedding in a daffodil-yellow lehenga skirt with a jacket made of antique brocade. His mother’s photograph occupies a permanent position on his inspiration board, the starting point for any collection.
The only departure to his usual tribute to the feminine muse was over a year ago, when he lost his father. Mohapatra paid his roots an emotional homage. Gone were the digital flowers from the collection, instead he replaced them with earthy hues of Indian soil, turmeric and the colours of mourning — black and white.
Emotional connect Mohapatra is very attached to his homeland. It is with this emotional connect that he has collaborated with the Odisha government to revive handloom ikat weaves that were distributed through Sambalpur Vastralaya and Bayanika stores. Today, he wants to approach that project all over again but he says, “I want to change the rules a little bit so that the weavers actually benefit from it,” slightly marred by his past experience of dealing with red tape.
A persevering student, Mohapatra made his way from picking up English-speaking at the Max Mueller centre in Rourkela to studying Economics in Utah. As luck would have it, he wound up at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
It is this rare combination of a creative soul and a sound knowledge of business that has helped Mohapatra build a sound brand, slowly but steadily. “I’m still in my journey to build something important,” he says modestly.
Dressed in a simple but sophisticated black shirt, a Gucci belt and jeans, the one thing that is striking about Mohapatra is how nice he is. It must be hard to stay “nice” in a world that is perceived as snarky. “And kindness,” he adds. “Some of the biggest deals are sealed with simple gestures of kindness and generosity and you gain a lot of peoples’ trust and faith with that.”
Pearl Shah is an independent fashion consultant and the Editor of The Juice Magazine
