B ibhu Mohapatra is a classic case of international fame distilling to recognition back home. The New York-based fashion designer, who hails from Rourkela in Odisha, within three years of setting up his eponymous label has very quickly become a popular name, thanks to celebrity patronage coming from the likes of Taraji P. Henson, Sienna Miller, Hillary Swank, Cate Blanchett and, more regularly, Glenn Close (she was seated also there in the front row at the designer's showing at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York last month).
A member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) since 2010, this Master's holder in Economics trained in apparel at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in New York. Apparel experience included a stint as assistant designer at Halston. It was during an almost decade-long spell as dDesign dDirector at J. Mendel that Mohapatra mastered the use of fur and creating luxurious outerwear, a skill that has had fashion critics speculating if he's the next Dennis Basso.
At In his own label, which he launched at the fashion week in New York in February 2009, it is a niche that lies as much in coats and jackets as in luxurious, feminine evening wear. He doesn't wear his Indian-ness on his sleeve — the thrust is more on tailoring and material than surface embellishment, and the India-inspired elements, more perceived than real.
In India to show at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, the designer answers questions on the spirit that drives his label, life in a fashionable city and business plans.
Let's begin with the collection you showcased at Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai.
A big part of the collection is Spring / Summer 2012, but mixed and curated with some of the key pieces of my previous collections to summarise the essence of my brand. There are successful gowns and day pieces, outerwear pieces, and key pieces from the Fall 2012 collection that I showed in February in New York, including the finale gowns.
What were the lessons from your stints at Halston and J. Mendel?
A lot. Not only did I get trained technically, but also understood the business aspect of it; the whole merchandising and marketing bit. Also, I got to see some of the original pieces by Halston you see only in magazines and books today. I wouldn't trade that for anything. My foundation is from that.
In the three years since setting up, what have emerged the key aspects of your label?
The spirit behind it, the spirit of my woman — strong, bold and confident. Whether it's the tailored clothes or draped pieces, they all have the same spirit, which is to enhances the woman wearing them. So that's a common thread collection after collection. It's continuing in different shapes and forms.
The themes of your collections have ranged from 20th Century Chinese opera and vintage postcards to Japanese armament, radiology and the works of architect Santiago Calatrava. What inspires you the most?
I'm a sponge. I live in New York, which is the most inspirational city ever. And people; people really drive my creativity. People I see on the streets. Interesting people who express themselves through their craft, be it literature, art, or science. Travelling is a big part of my inspiration as well. I keep my mind open. If something is obscure, something is not very clear but has a message, I try to dig deeper.
Several Indian-origin designers are making a mark globally. There's you, Naeem Khan, Ashish Gupta, Rachel Roy… Are there expectations and perceptions one has to deal with, in terms of the clothes one designs?
What I get into my clothes is my heritage. My clothes are not traditional Indian clothes. But again, if you look at them and the colours up-close, my heritage seeps through. I think, a lot of my fellow Indian designers in New York or other parts of the world have that, even if they cater to a primarily Western market. As we are from this part of the world, the perception is a certain refinement that goes along with it. Maybe they expect a lot of embellishments, but I don't do that. My heritage comes through my work in a very subtle way.
What about expansion plans?
I'm trying to grow my business in North America and also Asia and Europe. That's for the next year. The year after, we'll launch bridal and accessories. I believe in slow, planned and steady growth than super fast, if somewhat whimsical, growth. So, it's really key for me to have a strategic development of my brand. It's still a young business. Definitely, there is a certain sense of excitement that comes from every collection, but there're always things to learn from that. I'm in this because it's business for me. I'm trying to build a brand, it's not about just creativity. A successful fashion business is a perfect marriage between creativity and commerce.
