Cool, quirky, colourful yet embedded in craft — that is the essence of Nupur Kanoi’s designs. She has dressed actors like Shilpa Shetty, Madhuri Dixit, Rukmini Maitra, Kareena Kapoor Khan and many others during her career. After launching a street wear-inspired collection Ukiyo and resort-wear line Sheesha, she is gearing up for the launch of her collection, a summer bridal wear line called Sitaara. My Kolkata caught up with the Kolkata-based celebrity fashion designer at her Ballygunge Gardens flagship store to discuss her collections, fashion trends, design aesthetics and more.
Edited excerpts from the conversation below
My Kolkata: Please tell us about your Ukiyo Collection.
Nupur Kanoi: Ukiyo is a resort wear collection inspired by the street style of New York and Japan. Mainly Japan, which is why you would see it’s extremely colourful and vibrant, but also a little edgy. In Japan, orchids are considered to be a symbol of virility and that’s where the prints are inspired from. My clothes always have a bit of a ‘70’s influence in terms of silhouettes, and there’s a lot of reference to stripes and bright colours. The meaning of the name translates to a floating world, where you are bereft of the troubles of life.
Pieces from Nupur Kanoi’s Ukiyo collection
Why did you choose to work with stripes?
I have always been a fan of stripes. I wear a lot of stripes and I love working with them. It’s modern and a great way to break the monotony of a print, plus they are a good graphic element. Combine them with flowers and you can get an edgy print. So that’s why we went with stripes, and monochrome has always been my love. I am surrounded by monochromatic stripes, at home, in my office, so it just fell in place.
Do you think stripes complement all body types?
Of course! I think it’s also a myth that stripes have to be worn in a particular way to make you look slimmer, which is probably true in some cases. However, I think there’s so much optical illusion involved when you make clothes with stripe prints that it can suit any body type, and can be very flattering, depending on the silhouette. It does not always have to be vertical stripes that you use, stripes can be used in many ways and still look flattering. So that’s what you see in the collection (Ukiyo). We have punctuated the floral prints with stripes to give a flattering silhouette to women. Stripes were huge in the 1970’s as well; you would find them in all colours, and that’s also how it ties in with this line.
Your collection Sheesha works well for wedding season or as party wear. What was the thought of beginning the collection?
Sheesha was more a resort wear collection. It also has separates so that people can wear the pieces casually as well. Once they are put together in the sets that we have, I think they become more dressed up. Let’s say you are going to a festival, and you want to dress Indian, but not very traditional. I think that’s where Sheesha comes in, keeping the silhouettes cool and having a traditional touch in it. That’s always been our design aesthetic.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
I think we have a deep-rooted belief in craftsmanship but there is also a big punch of modernism in the designs. We play with silhouettes and always keep our craft involved in our designs. It’s a great mix of modernity and contemporary Indian clothing.
Pieces from Kanoi’s Sheesha collection
What is your most preferred material to work with and why?
We use a lot of crepes and cotton silks — but more silk, less cotton — along with satins and organza. We use a lot of different fabrics, and with every collection I like to introduce a new fabric, which also helps me push myself and see how drapes or embroidery can be done in those fabrics. There is so much happening around us when it comes to innovation and fabric. If we stick to usual fabrics, it won’t work, so we have to update ourselves. For Ukiyo, we have used a lot of crepes and satins. For both these collections we have used a fabric called silky, which is a mix of more silk, less cotton so the drape ability of the fabric is really great and also very good for summers.
Sustainability is a much discussed term in fashion. What is your take and how do you put it into practice?
I think the word sustainability is overused and abused. I don’t believe in my clothes being extremely sustainable, but being classics or wardrobe staples. So for me, more than sustainability, it is about reusability and creating wardrobe staples. Our designs have craftsmanship and while I am not keen on using labels, I feel it’s important for your pieces to be important for your wardrobe and something that can be worn two, three, five, or 10 years down the line. The designs are classics, which I reworked to look trendy and can be used and worn for years. That is more sustainable than using sustainable fabrics, as they call it. We are very particular about our designs having an element of craftsmanship and that in itself makes sure there is sustainability, but I stay away from that word.
After graduating from NIFT Kolkata, you started as a fashion stylist, writer and then formed your own label. Would you credit your experience as a stylist and writer to have impacted you as a designer?
Of course! I think writing is a big part of what I do, and knowing what I am doing in terms of translating my inspiration. Every collection starts from an inspiration, which could be anything, but putting my inspiration in words and putting it down on paper is very important for me. My experience as a stylist has been a great help in putting together designs, on knowing how to use one silhouette in ten possible ways and make it very Indian or western.
From on-screen celebrities like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shilpa Shetty to television actors like Karishma Tanna and even Kolkata’s own Rukmini Maitra have worn your designs. If you have to describe their individual styles in words, how would you do it?
I think the actors have their own personal style, but most of it is now ruled by the stylists that style them. The style is an extension of their personality but a lot of it is shaped by the stylists today. I would say the ones who really have a serious style statement in this country are people like Neha Dhupia. She knows what she wants to wear. It starts with having your own personal style and relating it with fashion, like how Sonam Kapoor has a personal style. Shilpa Shetty also has her own style — she can be sexy, and also casual and cool.
What would you like to say about the fashion scenario in Kolkata right now? What’s trending and what’s not?
I think we have great designers in Kolkata and everybody has their own sensibility. There are a lot of new labels that are making really good clothes. Kolkata has a large pool of designers to offer the Indian design scene. The people are also more in touch with their culture , tradition and craft. It’s much more like slow fashion.
One trend you see picking up in 2023 and one trend you think that needs to go this year?
The trend I think will pick up and really take over in the near future is stripes. What should go is a difficult question to answer. I think ruffle saris. There’s too much of it, fashion should be cleaner. I personally love organza but I think it can be used in many other different ways.
What can we expect from you next?
I am launching my latest collection on Instagram and in stores very soon. It’s a summer wedding collection called Sitaara. I won’t call it a bridal line per se, it’s clothes for the bride and her tribe. There’s something for everybody in the collection, be it the mother, sister, relatives or the bride. It features pop colours like tangerine, hot pink, dusty rose, pista (green) and an evening-wear navy blue colour. Keeping modern weddings in mind, it has options for both day and night looks and you can easily slip into things. The embroidery is very delicate and done with mirrors, studs, Swarovski and a lot of threadwork. The designs are lightweight and quirky, not typical of the gold and silver of bridal wear. The inspiration is a girl who has many suitors — a girl with power, one who has the freedom to choose what she wants. It’s for the cool bride, who can pick something different.
