Soft-spoken, stylish and an absolute fave designer of every A-list Bolly actress — Anamika Khanna is the she power in the fashion industry who has her finger on the pulse of the millennial bride. We caught up with the designer at The International Convention of the Wedding Fraternity (ICWF), Europe Chapter, held at Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul in June. She chatted with t2 about the new-age bride, her fave travel destinations and why she wants to live in New York.

Who is the millennial bride according to you?

A millennial bride is essentially a global citizen. She has no boundaries, no limitation and she is extremely conscious of the world. She finds a reason to do what she is doing and strives to do it better. She is looking for experiences over objects and, given a choice, she would rather take an experiential holiday across the world than go and buy something exorbitant. 

The millennial bride is also very well-educated and informed. The world is on her smartphone. She is giving back to society by doing something meaningful with their life. That’s the millennial bride for me.

What are the current trends in wedding fashion?

It is very interesting! For the main wedding day, most of them like to stick to the traditional, but for the other days, they are pushing boundaries like never before. Like for the sangeet they are happy to wear something more westernised; for the mehndi they want to do ethnic but not the traditional lehnga. 

What is also interesting is the experimentation with colour, which never used to happen. There was a time when there were only these four-five colours and they would not move from there. The other interesting thing is “if someone else has done that I am willing to push myself a little more and experiment”, but earlier it used to be “you know what, my friend has done that, I have got this picture so make me something similar to this look”… that has changed. They have the courage, they know their mind and they wear their heart on their sleeves.

In your session at ICWF you mentioned how brides are opting for different colours and the first person who comes to mind is Sonam Kapoor who opted for a very unconventional shade for her reception. Tell us the story behind Sonam’s outfit.

Who else will push the boundary if not Sonam Kapoor? When we were working on her reception outfit, I was like we cannot do a traditional lehnga with embroidery and just stay in that phase because she is the one who has been breaking the barrier and has the looks, ability, persona and courage to actually do it. She said “I am looking for something stark” and I said what do you think of geometry? She said “What do you mean”. I did a sketch and sent it to her on WhatsApp saying this is what I am thinking, in black gold and silver, and she was okay with it. 

Also, immediately after her wedding she slipped into one of your creations…

She was wearing a very intricately embroidered mul sari and a stole with it. It had very traditional dori ka kaam and the idea was to bring a soft look, and comfort was really important. Also, it takes a Sonam Kapoor to wear a mul sari on such an occasion (smiles).

So it must be easy for you to execute a design for Sonam?

Sometimes easy, sometimes the opposite and that’s the challenge! I am like okay meri ma, this is your vision, ab kya karein?! (laughs) She has the thought right, and to bring that thought alive… it’s just that we have been working for so many years that it has become so much comfortable and we understand each other.

What are the fabrics millennial brides are opting for?

Actually, it’s hard to generalise since it’s a personal thing and I completely respect that. I don’t want to generalise and say people are going for this because somebody else has some vision and someone else has another and it’s only fair they do their own thing, which they already do. But one thing that everybody wants is their bridal outfits to last and that is something I believe in. I tell my brides that after 15-20 years you should be able to take it out and say I am ready to pass it on or wear it again and not say ‘oh this is not so fashionable’. 

Fashion is all about trends going and coming. Tell us a trend you wish makes a comeback and one which you never want to see again...

You know, the concept of trends has changed. There was a time when there used to be a trend so strong that you could define an era around it — 1920s, 1960s, 1980s. Now with fast fashion, a trend comes and goes before you even realise. Now it’s become about who you are and what you imbibe for yourself as a trend. It is not possible to describe and define trends. So a trend might have come back and gone back too or a trend that has gone back but you are wearing it and can carry it well, so you are doing good. 

Stars in AK at the t2 office

AK on the move

You happen to travel quite often for work. We would like to know how travelling helps you as an artist to expand your creativity or vision...

It’s very simple! The more you see, the more you observe, the different cultures, people, the different kind of architecture, the beauty that you see around, the markets… the more you open your mind you are able to observe more and take in that much and become more global in your approach. If you are a true designer, you are inspired by where you are, what you see, who you interact with. It’s not like I am going to sit back in Calcutta and think like an American; I can’t! 

It is about absorbing that much and somewhere or the other sometimes it is direct inspiration, sometimes it’s just about that feeling. Like I am sitting here (in Istanbul) and I am going to go home and I know in my next collection somewhere or the other there will be a reflection of that.

I was in the US a few days back. A different culture, different energy sportswear, rap artistes... the energy is different and then I am here and the difference is drastic! The people, the way they think, food and everything is different, so my mind is somewhere else now. So yeah it is important to get around and see.

What will you be taking back from Istanbul?

I had been to Istanbul many, many years back. The amalgamation of culture is something that got stuck in my head. We visited the Dolmabahçe Palace yesterday... there is such a varied use of colours, like pink and washed blue, hand-painted... and this was the area for only the ladies, so the femininity touches you and stays with you, so it will in some way find a way in my future collection. 

What do you love the most about travelling?

Unfortunately I have been travelling for work a lot and I do this touch-the-place-finish-your-work-and-leave. But now after a very long time I have been able to take a break and I feel re-energised, refreshed.

And less stressed?

You learn to deal with stress. As I am growing up, I have realised it’s not stress anymore but what you do with it and it has become a part of your life. So I don’t get stressed to a level where I can’t function any more and it just drives me. You know when you say stress, it’s the stress to deliver and those rare moments when I am like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t do this any more’ are the times when it’s the driving force. It’s like, give me more stress, I will give you more designs!

Travel style is very important now and the airport look has become a conversation point. What is your ideal airport look?

Comfort. And style and comfort are very easy to combine together. For me the most important thing is shoes! What I can’t understand are the high heels and stilettos and walking through the crazy ramps of the airport in them. You can wear something stylish and be comfortable. I am not the one who believes so much in track pants, for me it has to be stylish everywhere! Just because you are travelling doesn’t mean you can’t wear your best. Somewhere I feel how your travel has become a part of your life and an airport look can’t be defined. I would 100 per cent not travel without a gorgeous shawl and a jacket. Hot or cold, it has to be there. Then the essentials like toothbrush, lotions and most favourite lipstick, perfume… it’s like you come out (of the airport) and don’t look haggard.
I am one of those maniacs who can’t be idle while flying; if I don’t have something to work on or read or see, I will drive somebody mad in those two-and-a-half hours. I must have something to do! 

The destinations that have made an impact on you...

I won’t call it a travel destination because I come from there but Jodhpur remains my favourite. I was born there, spent a lot of my childhood. The culture and beauty are unparalleled. The way people speak to you, it is really amazing. I have heard in my own maternal grandparents’ home that somebody is being shouted at and the word ‘sa’ is being added to their name, which shows respect. Everyone is given that kind of respect. 

The food, the hospitality, the warmth of the place, their clothes are all amazing. You see highly educated girls coming out of Jodhpur. What I find really amazing is that the level of education is high and it is co-existing with the traditions Jodhpur has. 

Then New York! I want to live there. It’s just never-ending and you are surprised every moment. You stay there 10-12 days or a month, it’s not enough. What I find so interesting is people from everywhere have come together there and they have the same energy, the same drive, the fashion, the food... it’s like I belong there. 

What are the must-do things when you visit a country?

I am not a touristy person... you cannot take me sightseeing. I would rather discover the unknown things than do the cliched. I must find the soul of the place, the street which is the hub of the place, must discover the small small places… shopping is not about going to the malls. Like here I want to go to the Grand Bazaar, just so I discover what’s locally special and bring back that memory and that’s what stays with you.