Abhishek Dutta’s eponymous label completes 20 and anyone a little familiar with the affable guy will easily figure out that the label he created in these two decades is nothing but a reflection of who he is. Bold and ahead of its time. A fashion designer by a twist of destiny and a successful one through inspiring dedication and hard work, Abhishek’s journey of two decades in this industry is inspiring, of course, but also creatively bold, spectacular, daring, ingenious and far-sighted, just like his shows and shoots are. And in parts, funny just like the man he is. From sharing his inspiration and success mantra to the funny moments that make the ride memorable, t2 sat down with the designer to turn back the pages of his work album and listen to his anecdotes as he walked down memory lane with us.
THE DESTINY TWIST
For Abhishek, drawing has always been a passion since childhood and creativity has always been his forte, but becoming a fashion designer was not even a distant dream. It was a destiny twist for the engineering aspirant. “I sat for IIT and JEE but I couldn’t get through in my first attempt. Back in those days, good students would either appear for engineering or medical. But my upbringing was different. Both my parents were art students and they encouraged me to pursue art. I did not want to waste a year. I had lost my father at a very early age and wanted to take up the responsibility for my family as soon as possible. My mom got me a form of a fashion college. In those days, I had not even heard the term ‘fashion designer’. I started the course. But even though I was pursuing the course, people would always say that I would have to find a good job after this. The creative satisfaction is what inspired me to pursue fashion,” says Abhishek, looking back.
Blenders Pride Show, with Mumtaz Sorcar and Yami Gautam
The Smirnoff International show opened doors for the designer. He passed out of college in 2000 but for four years had to work as a collaborator due to lack of funds. It was only in 2004 that Abhishek got to launch his own label with pocket money saved from the freelance work he used to do. “I launched my first collection from a small garage space. My forte has always been Western and avant-garde. In my first collection, I merged science with fashion. I have always done things out of the box. (John) Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Rajesh Pratap Singh have been my inspirations,” says Abhishek, talking about the initial days of his career.
FASHION THEN AND NOW
Has his perception of fashion changed over the years? “Two decades back fashion was a luxury but now it is a lifestyle. At that time only high-society people used to wear designer outfits. Now every kid knows about it and it is accessible to the middle class as well,” he feels.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
Abhishek lists for us some of the moments that stand out when he looks back at his career:
The Indian Museum show
There are so many! In the first season of the Kolkata Fashion Week, at the last minute the celebrity who was supposed to walk changed. That time I was working with Rituparno Ghosh for one of his films, and he agreed to walk for me. That created a hype.
The first film that I did was Autograph with Srijit Mukherji. For the first time, a film announcement was done with a fashion show. Nandana (Dev Sen), Bumbada (Prosenjit Chatterjee) and Indraneil (Sengupta) walked…
I have had a long association with Irrfan (Khan). In 2010, I dressed him up in orange pants and he was so impressed with it that he kept wearing my label. We dressed him many times for subsequent film promotions. There was a green jacket that we made for him. I don’t know if that was a lucky jacket for him or not but he wore that for many promotions, and finally, it ended up on the poster of Qarib Qarib Singlle as well!
We did a show on saving the girl child but did not get any girl child to walk the ramp. My elder son had long hair back then and I made him walk the ramp. But somehow he rolled over from the ramp while walking and it became a front page news in newspapers saying I was torturing the child! My son still curses me for making him walk as a girl! (Laughs)
I was the first one to showcase a mask on the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week, way before it became a Covid accessory. We did it with leather and kirigami and it became very popular. We were the first to use a hijab on the ramp, too, after which we got a lot of Middle Eastern buyers.
Abhishek showcased hijab on the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week, themed ‘saving the girl child'
I got the best debut in Wills India Fashion Week and was selected to showcase at Tranoi Paris. At one of the Wills shows, we did models as dress forms and the last model walked in like a customer. I have done things very differently in each show but kept the essence of the design philosophy the same.
In 2017, we did the Parole show. Parole originated as a humanitarian project for the skill development of the inmates of the correctional home and later developed into a pret brand. The inmates became the brand face and it is a sustainable brand with a trendy line of clothing.
Abhishek with Jisshu and Nilanjanaa at Eastern Fashion Legacy Show
CREATIVITY AND THE SPECTACLE
Spectacle and creativity are two noteworthy aspects of an Abhishek Dutta show or showcase. Speaking about the same, the designer notes: “Spectacle and creativity are very important, especially now, in an era where social media has become so important. It is very important how we package our products. A show is very important to me. I love exploring different venues for my show. I feel it is a part of my creativity to set the theme right by combining the backdrop, clothes and accessories. In fact, I am the first designer to showcase a collection in the Indian Museum. We also did a show at the Railway Museum. I have also collaborated with various artists for my shows, not only from India but internationally as well. I feel, creativity merged makes it bigger and larger and caters to a larger audience also. I always felt I wanted to stand out from the crowd. I don’t know if it is good or bad, but you will be noticed in the crowd if you are wearing an Abhishek Dutta.”
THE DESIGN AESTHETIC
Futuristic yet contemporary has been the design philosophy of the label. Talking about its inception, the designer says: “I have always been fascinated by these sci-fi movies and thought of how to merge them with my designs. My first Smirnoff outfit was with solar panels. Nowadays, people are talking about smart garments. I did that 20 years ago. I feel being futuristic is an intrinsic quality that I have, where I can go beyond and do something but keep it relevant at the same time. We promote sustainable and handwoven fabrics but love designing more structured garments. Jackets have been my forte, and it really interests me when we work with contrasts, like structured silhouettes and flowy dresses.”
WEARABILITY AND CREATIVITY
Wearability is a key aspect of fashion today, along with creativity. “We make separates because it can be matched with a lot of looks rather than doing coordinated stuff. It is all about balancing wearability and the creative aspect. But as a designer, it is important to have a signature so that people can recognise your clothes. I give importance to the look I want to create more than what the market wants. It is not pret. Our label is somewhere between couture and diffusion. I am open to ideas and criticism but I do what my creative instinct says,” shares Abhishek.
LEATHER LOVE
Abhishek with Irrfan Khan
Abhishek’s career as a designer started with an international show, in 2004 at Bali Fashion Week. The collection was based on leather and crochet. “Leather has always interested me because of the architectural look it gives to a garment. I feel it goes well with handloom fabrics and is also suitable for every occasion. Many people say leather is not sustainable but in my collection, I used the scraps from the leather industry. I do not manufacture leather for my products. That way, we function very sustainably,” says the designer.
CHALLENGES
“There’ve been lots of challenges but the initial challenge was to set up my own label without any money. It took some time to overcome that, but finally, we are here,” says Abhishek.
SUCCESS MANTRA
What is the designer’s success mantra of sustaining and flourishing in the industry for over two decades? “Humility,” answers Abhishek in one word. He elaborates, “I have given lots of recommendation letters to Lakme for my interns. The industry cannot function with just one designer. If we, as seniors, do not guide the future generations then no more good talents will come out. It makes me very proud to see my interns coming up with their own labels. I always encourage new talent.”
GOING FORWARD
Apart from Lakme and Wills, in these two decades, Abhishek has been a part of Asia Fashion Week, Bangkok Fashion Week, Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, Bridal Asia, India Bridal Week, Bangalore Fashion Week for almost the last 12 years, Hyderabad Style Week, Pune Style Week, Kochi Fashion Week and Kolkata Fashion Week. “Our aim now is to take the brand international and reach a wider clientele. As a designer also I have matured a little bit. So, I want to balance marketability with creativity,” says Abhishek regarding his plans with the brand in the future.
Kriti Sanon in Abhishek Dutta at Lakme Fashion Week 2012
ABHISHEK POINTS OUT SOME SIGNIFICANT TRENDS THAT THE LABEL HAS INNOVATED WITH OVER THE YEARS:
Architectural Silhouettes:
We have been using leather to create architectural jackets and silhouettes in different ways that have become a trend in the current years. I used layers of 3D kirigami with leather in 2008 and now it has become a trend in international couture shows.
Asymmetry:
Asymmetrical designs have also been a focal point for a lot of our designs throughout the years. From the beginning, I have played around with it through hemlines, draping and more.
Smart Outfits and Masks:
We created futuristic looks through various accessories as well as makeup for my runways at Lakme Fashion Week. We worked with sci-fi looks and introduced the mask to depict anti-pollution back in 2012, way before Covid. And incidentally, we became the first brand in India to introduce designer masks during Covid-19.
Walk for a Cause:
Many designers now theme their shows on a cause they want to support. We did it way back with causes like saving the girl child, anti-pollution, and Neel Bidroho by using organic dye like indigo to promote sustainable fashion.
t2’s FUN FIVE WITH THE DESIGNER:
Who do you love to wear when not wearing your own label?
I think I have owned most of the Wendell (Rodricks) and Rajesh Pratap pieces. Now I don’t fit into the sizes anymore! (Laughs)
A major show blunder:
Nature has played a blunder for me not once but lots of times. The Blenders Pride Fashion Tour got cancelled because of this. The Railway Museum show was spoiled. This has been synonymous with my shows!
Your favourite show till date:
Most memorable would be Smirnoff International. It was my first time in Bombay before launching my label. We had the top models and actors walking for us. And recently, it is the post-Covid show that we did on the terrace of Park Mansions. It was a different version of me, you can say, Abhishek Dutta 2.0. No other designer dared to put up a show when we did, right after Covid and also did a shoot at Chandernagore after preparing for six months during the Covid break.
A contemporary designer from Calcutta you admire:
Anamika (Khanna) and Sabyasachi (Mukherjee). They are seniors but inspire me a lot. Sabyasachi is an Indian designer who aced the international market.
Dream collab:
Would be with a designer house from Paris or Milan. Fingers crossed!