The ‘Come Home’ collection by Bibhu Mohapatra, which was a mesmerising look at fashion inspired by the eternal spirit of Indian women and paired with timeless designs and colours, had its homecoming exhibition after over ten years. Additionally, it was a celebration of Bibhu’s Indian ancestry and roots. Legendary Lakmé muses from the past and present walked the ramp that evening including the likes of Carol Gracias, Shimona Nath, Bipasha Basu, Lisa Haydon, Vipasha Agarwal, Simone Singh, and Ananya Panday. Here’s what the designer had to say about his return to Indian soil.
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ELLE: Tell us about the inspiration for your collection debuting at the Housē of Lakmé Grand Finale.
Bibhu Mohapatra (BM): The collection I unveiled at the Grand Finale of Lakmé Fashion Week, is my latest collection – the spring 2024 that we just showed in New York a couple of weeks ago. This is also combined with some of the greatest hits of the brand from the previous years. It’s a curation of the newest collection along with some Bibhu classics that represent India, Indian women and their amazing qualities.
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ELLE: Your line is titled ‘Come Home.’ How does it feel presenting back here after making a solid case for global domination?
BM: This collection is my come-home collection. I am showing my work in India which is my homeland after over a decade and it’s special for me because a decade is a long time. We all have changed after the pandemic in between which has reflected in our work, our outlook and our perspective on things in life and how we live, how we create and how we consume.
So, this is a ‘Come Home’ collection because I’m able to show my work here in India on a great platform and something that resonates with my audience here. Also, this is an opportunity to honour and pay tribute to the women of India, women who have shaped me and have inspired me all my life.
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ELLE: What are the prints, colours and silhouettes utilised in your collection?
BM: The collection has a lot of Japanese crepes, silk barathea, silk chiffons, silk faille, cotton canvas, and artisanal denim. Sculptural details are melded with organic elements, the shapes are modern and feminine.
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ELLE: Tell us about your association with Lakmé and the process of collaborating with the beauty mammoth on the finale for the fashion week.
BM: It’s been a great experience being here and working with Lakmé, FDCI and the Reliance brands, to collaborate on this specific project for the Housē of Lakmé Grand Finale of the Lakmé Fashion Week. And what I was told was that we want to make sure that we bring New York to India with this. That is why it’s called the Come Home collection. So, we wanted to bring those elements that are simpler, and restrained, but focused on the beautiful couture that we make and tell our stories of the brand as well as the people who have made them.
A lot of the artisans from India contribute to making those beautiful surface treatments and embroideries. We’re bringing their work home to their backyard and so there’s a bigger story to be told about the clothes, and that would require some serious restraint, and that is in the production of the show and the choice of models. But I think we mostly are on the same page with Lakmé.
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ELLE: How was the choice of showstoppers integral to the core of your collection?
BM: To me, the show is never about the showstoppers. It’s really about every single individual that walks the show representing the collection. And that’s what we do. For this show, we put together a series of Lakmé muses that will be woven through the entire collection, being a part of the entire group of models representing the collection on the runway.
