Sabyasachi Mukherjee can rightly be termed as the king of collaborations — over the years, the designer has built up an impressive portfolio of collections produced in association with brands and designers alike. Think: The successful Sabyasachi x Christian Louboutin collection that birthed lust-worthy shoes; the capsule collection for Lane Crawford that featured his first-ever white wedding collection; the collaboration with Asian Paints to create vibrantly printed wallpapers; Forevermark’s Zanyah collection; the vintage-inspired décor collection for Pottery Barn. The list is long, but not long enough — now, the couturier has joined hands with L’Oréal Paris to curate a festive make-up collection. And it goes without saying that it’s got Sabyasachi’s signature look all over it.
In a tête-à-tête, the designer opened up about how the collaboration came about, the inspiration behind it, and his thoughts on L’Oréal’s ambassador, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
On his foray into the beauty industry:
“As a brand, we have been consistent with our look — whether it’s the centre-parted hair with a bindi or the kohl-rimmed eyes with flowers in the hair — and this look appeals a lot to the middle class and upper middle class groups. So, it made sense to naturally progress to beauty as it’s way more accessible.”
On the collection:
“This is the first time that L’Oréal Paris is collaborating with an Indian designer — their previous collaborations were with Balmain and Isabel Marant — and since I wasn’t creating make-up for them and rather curating it, I took forward the similarities our two brands had and the result was a classic collection comprising of 10 lip colours, a black eye liner and a volumizing mascara.
“When I look at make-up, I admire consistency. I don’t like women changing their eye shadow every day; instead, one of the most endearing images of women for me has been about individuality and how repetition creates iconicism. Also, not everyone today has the time or the inclination to wear foundation, blush or even a primer. Hence, this collection is perfect for women whose make-up regimen is low maintenance.”
On the one colour that women love:
“Beauty, and the society as a whole, has become very ageist. But my brand works with women of all ages, sizes and colour, and if there is one commonality among all women, its their love for the colour red. A strong red lip is favoured by all; it’s timeless. That’s why the ten colours I’ve selected for the lipsticks are restricted to classic reds, classic berries and classic nudes.”
On his muse Aishwarya Rai Bachchan:
“Aishwarya is not just a modern woman, she’s a global icon. Dressing up Aishwarya is very difficult because people’s expectations go sky high since she’s such a strong influence for women of all age groups. Hence, for her look in the campaign, I went for a simple sari styled with a belt that brought all the attention to her bold make-up.”
Shop the collection on Nykaa.com
