You’re invited to Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s couture show. In fact, everyone’s invited. For the first time, the designer will reveal his couture collection on Instagram.
ELLE: Why did you decide to do a show on Instagram?
Sabyasachi Mukherjee: Worldwide, the way fashion brands are reaching consumers is completely changing. While some brands play to the gallery, others are shrinking their voices to intimate whispers. I personally think that rather than confining the experience to a few hundreds, big conversation-pieces of design houses should reach out to customers and fans worldwide.
ELLE: And why couture, which is usually such a grand production?
SM: We may have put our presentation on Instagram, but we haven’t toned down the exuberance. A grand set was built, multiple models were hired, Mickey Contractor was commissioned for make-up and Tarun Khiwal for photography. Kishandas & Company for Sabyasachi created the fabulous jewellery. The in-house digital team in Kolkata collaborated with a digital team flown in from Mumbai, to create an atmospheric presentation to be made available to millions worldwide.
ELLE: What is most special about this show?
SM: The high point of the presentation is the music, curated by the Sabyasachi Culture Foundation. It was recorded live in Kolkata while 18 artists from The Art Foundation painstakingly hand-rendered the set. All for the tiny screen on your smartphone. It’s like creating the modern-day equivalent of an old miniature painting.
ELLE: When will these pieces be available?
SM: Immediately, in my store, to pick up customised orders.
ELLE: How concerned are you about your designs being copied?
SM: I am not concerned, because the grey market can never capture the spirit, excellence and quality of our couture line.
ELLE: Is there a theme for this collection?
SM: I don’t work on themes any more. I focus on making beautiful, relevant clothes. I have named the collection ‘Firdaus’, which means the highest garden in paradise. For me, it’s about making beautiful clothes with the highest level of excellence. Sample this: 42 master karigars, 1,963 dexterous hours of intricate workmanship and a modern heirloom is bought to life in the form of a floor-sweeping coat.
ELLE: What are the crafts you have used?
SM: The finest vintage needle crafts, the sophistication of tilla and super refined zardosi. Add to that sumptuous velvets, organic dyes and classic Indian silhouettes painstakingly hand-stitched. Every year, we strive to raise our couture standards to make clothing that won’t get boxed into meaningless trends but rather stay within the realms of classic heirloom.
Catch the show on Instagram: @SabyasachiOfficial at 9pm IST on July 18
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