Fashion designer Masaba's mission to empower women 

by ASJAD NAZIR,

THE FASHION DESIGNER ON HER INSPIRATIONS, SECRET TO LUXURIOUS STYLE AND COLOURFUL NEW COLLECTION.

ACCLAIMED Indian fashion designer Masaba Gupta has been in tune with the modern day

woman and those who wear her outfits exude impressive power.

The big-thinking design genius has done that again with her striking and unique latest collection, which is the perfect combination of luxury, power, comfort and accessibility. The collection continues her run of eye-catching outfits aimed at a diverse clientele of all ages.

Eastern Eye caught up with Masaba to talk about her amazing fashion journey, eye-catching latest collection and forthcoming trends.

How do you look back on your journey in fashion so far?

It has been quite something because I’ve had the privilege of finding success both commercially and creatively in something I love doing. More than that I have had the power to take my own decisions. I’m just grateful to get the applause and appreciation for something I enjoy doing every day.

What is the secret behind maintaining such a high standard?

I don’t think about it very much. I feel like when you try too hard to make things look a certain way or take yourself too seriously it reflects on your work. I am someone who takes myself lightly, but takes my work very seriously.

The other thing is that with each collection we think about how we are moving forward. It’s not just about doing a collection, colours or print that people have liked. It is about giving them that extra something they didn’t really expect. In that sense we are seen as leaders, as opposed to people just churning out collection after collection. They see us as

people trying to do something new, experimenting and giving people a choice of a wardrobe that could be different from what they usually get. I think that is

why people keep coming back.

Do you ever feel pressure? 

Yes, I feel the pressure all the time. It sometimes gets to me and at other times, I don’t let it get to me. I feel like if I didn’t have that pressure I wouldn’t be doing my best work. It is easy to become complacent and think that now this is running on autopilot. But the pressure of delivering and making people really believe that we can constantly do these things is something that keeps me going. But I also think about it on days I should think about it because doing work out of pressure can kill the creative process in a big way.

Today where do you draw your fashion inspirations from?

My mum (Neena Gupta) has been a constant source of inspiration. Also, my surroundings do have a lot to do with how I am feeling at a given point of time. It could have a lot to

do with an incident that might have happened in my life, be it a place I travelled to and how it made me feel. It could be music, a piece of poetry, a song or anything. Inspiration is all around me.

Tell us about your latest collection, which is very striking?

That is actually something we worked on excessively because it is one of the larger, heavier collections we have done. So the idea was to give women a really fun, comfortable, yet inspirational wardrobe for the festive season.

India is a market driven by weddings, festivals and celebrations, so we wanted the clothes to reflect that. There is a lot of fusion in my work and it is about two different worlds coming together. So, yes, they are striking and unique, but also extremely comfortable. That for me is what luxury is. It shouldn’t be intimidating and should be something

people can touch, feel and own a part of.

There is a girl power element in the clothes. Was that intentional?

Girl power is something that has become a part of my being. Everything I do and say on social media has, in a way, become a little bit of a movement for women. I believe that the way women dress says a lot about them. The kind of things they pick to wear on a day-to-day basis says everything about how they feel.

There are different pieces for different kinds of women in the collection. There is something for someone older, quirky, very sophisticated; someone who doesn’t like colour at all; someone who loves colour and more. That, to me, is what girl power is – to be able to dress as per the way you are feeling. That is why we have so many different emotions in the clothes.

How does London compare to other cities in terms of fashion?

What I love about London is that it is a very earthy, relaxed city, but they are also very fashion conscious. With London a lot of thought goes into what they are wearing. It is clean, practical clothing and Londoners think a lot about the weather when dressing up. A lot of practicality goes into the way people dress in London.

You inspire others with your designs, but what inspires you in terms your own outfits?

I am really inspired by comfort. I don’t think I would be caught dead in something that is too tight and body hugging, and something that makes me feel not like myself. I feel my best when I am most confident and comfortable in my own skin, when I am wearing baggy, oversized clothes. I feel that gives me a lot of room to breathe and think clearly. It’s important I am inspired by my mood and state of mind. I am also big on fitness; so looking

after myself is also a big inspiration for me.

What are your fashion predictions for 2019?

Fashion will largely be driven by comfort and also be about personal expression as opposed to what trends dictate.

I don’t think people will look at trends any more because people are taking a lot of time to

understand themselves, including their bodies, who they are and what they say with their clothes. As a trend that is something that will move forward in fashion and will become sustainable because that is the way global fashion is going. People will become more conscious about what they wear and fabrics. Everything will become about consciousness and awareness in the future with respect to fashion.

• www.houseofmasaba.net