It's a material world after all. And who knows it better than Varun Bahl. The New Delhi-based designer, with a flair for springing textural surprises, has evolved a fresh lexicon of chic in his less-than-a-decade whirl in the fashion world.
“I've had an abiding interest in fabrics and textures even before I hit the design scene,” says the designer who is launching a new line at Evoluzione, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, on April 4.
“The collection features clothes shown at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (Spring-Summer). Young, flirtatious dresses, low on embellishment and high on draping, comprise the Western line. There is an ethnic collection as well,” adds the ex-NIFT-ian, who is famous for his seamless blending of the classic and the contemporary in his work.
The designer, who was determined to hit the fashion highway ever since he met the crown prince of cool, Rohit Bal, at the age of 11, fine-tuned his sensibilities by working in his family's export business, before launching his label in 2001. “Technically speaking, I gained a lot during the days when I was servicing top Western brands through our business. That also explains my fascination for feel-and-tell fabrics,” smiles the designer, who along with Karan Johar launched a men's wear label Karan Johar-Varun Bahl last year at the HDIL India Couture Week in which the ramp cast included Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri.
The secret of Bahl's statement-making-styles lies in his flair for combining textures. “It's imperative for me. Each creation showcases painstaking work. Yet, it's not in-the-face. I'm not turned on by trends. It's an interesting fabric or a swatch of embroidery that drives my creativity. At the next level, I experiment with colour. As far as silhouettes go, I'm pretty much classic. Or call it twisted classic. The Varun Bahl woman is an elegant non-conformist!” And it shows in his collection of dresses and separates created with notice-me tones and subtle surface ornamentation.
The designer, who's creative lap includes top honours in Italy (his Spring/Summer 2004 line at White in Italy was adjudged the Best of the Season from amongst 20 competing designers from across the globe and he was chosen by Camera Moda to display his Spring/Summer 2007 and Autumn/Winter 2007-2008 in the Re-Generation category at the Milan Fashion Week) says his clothes are “global — but with a dose of our culture.”
