For most of us, our fashion sensibilities begin at home. If young daughters look up to their mothers to follow her style, sons secretly hope to copy their fathers. Be it the way he pairs his outfits, the colour combinations, his dressing style and the fashionable aura he creates with his clothes… the sons always look up to their fathers as their fashion icons. Two designers Raghavendra Rathore and Anand Bahl attribute their design sense to their fathers. “The genesis of aesthetic articulation in my mind stems from the enormous impact of my father’s styling and his wardrobe that was created by my mother - hence to a degree the influences from parents have modelled my impression of custom fashion for other individuals,” states Raghavendra Rathore.
The designer finds a key inspiration in his late father Swaroop Singh’s persona, personality and his ability of implementation (he passed away at the age of 72). “His ability to have faith while supporting the creative vision I had laid for my quest of life is something that reminds me to keep moving forward and pass onto my children,” he adds. Raghavendra’s designs are a blend of ethnicity and modernity and his Jodhpuris for men exude a royal look.
The designer says his father’s belief in presenting tradition and culture through fashion is the driving force in his creations and the strength of his company. “He used traditional fabrics created by local artisans. He chose to wear the breeches, achkan and classic Jodhpuri waistcoat that exemplified the strength of the artisans and weavers. When he donned these outfits the impression that was created was one of pride of an age old heritage,” he points out.
Eye for fashion
For Anand, his dad being in the clothing industry laid the path for his fashionable career. “As kids, dad would take Dolly (Dolly Sidhwani, co-owner of Noble Faith) and me for his business travels. We have learnt a lot from him, since he has a great eye for fashion as well as practical awareness,” smiles Anand. His father Rajan Bahl is 60-plus and started his career from scratch at a young age, designing shirts for men.
Anand says although his father had a major influence on his fashion sense, he likes to innovate and design according to the modern trends. Looking back, Anand says he takes pride in the way his father built his career. “Back at that time there were not many international brands. My dad has a peculiar sense of dressing; he wears shirts that are ahead of the fashion trends,” he smiles. Anand says as a tribute he wants to create a line based on his father’s fetish to experiment with vivacious hues and bold prints.
