Masaba Gupta is on a roll. She recently showcased her latest collection at Lakmé Fashion Week (opening show, nonetheless), has launched a diffusion line, Masaba Lite (with phone covers), has been touring the country as part of her role as creative director of Satya Paul, and is now set to launch her capsule collection for e-commerce site, Stylista.com. The e-store already stocks affordable clothes by designers Wendell Rodricks, Yogesh Chaudhary and Priyadarshini Rao and has recently roped in Gupta and luxury swimsuit brand, Shivan & Narresh. With two days to go for the launch of her new line for the website, ELLE chatted with Gupta on juggling prints and price points.
ELLE: What made you collaborate with Stylista.com?
Masaba Gupta: Anjana Sharma (COO and Fashion Director, Stylista.com) is a good friend and she introduced me to the concept of this platform a while ago. The model seemed interesting as I’ve always wanted to cater to the masses and the youth and this could only be done if the pricing was altered to suit their preferences. Stylista.com seemed to fit the bill perfectly, allowing me to do so without any compromise on quality or design and I’m eagerly looking forward to the launch.
ELLE: How is this collection different from Masaba or Masaba Lite?
MG: My aesthetic in design has remained the same; it’s mainly fabrics and the prices that are different. In fact, prices are cheaper in some areas but then the offering also extends beyond apparel. [For this capsule collection] what’s great is that since all the production was handled by the e-store, creating it was absolutely hassle-free.
ELLE: What can we expect from this line?
MG: This collection is inspired by the basics in a common man’s life and is illustrated through four key prints: the knife, television, typewriter and bicycle. The line is dominated by monochrome prints that are livened up with pops of yellow, pink and mint green. I’ve incorporated easy, functional fabrics with silhouettes ranging from fun skater dresses, chic shirts and tailored pants to stylish jackets, crop tops and dhoti skirts that flatter all body types.
ELLE: What’s your favourite piece from Masaba x Stylista?
MG: The tulip wrap dress in the TV print — it’s fun, vibrant and looks good on most body types.
ELLE: How do you juggle the different collections — Satya Paul, Masaba, Masaba Lite and Masaba x Stylista?
MG: Each of my collections have a very distinct USP; Satya Paul is all about sophistication and elegance, Masaba is very organic, raw and fearless and Masaba Lite is just a whole lot of fun and very kitsch! Stylista, for me, has been sort of an amalgamation of Masaba and Masaba Lite but tweaked to suit the mass target audience it caters to.
Prices range from Rs 2,500 - Rs 6,000.
Click through to get a first look at the collection and exclusive behind-the-scenes images and sketches.
Masaba Gupta for Stylista.com will launch on the site on September 10
By Shruti Thacker September 8th, 2014
