Here’s a quick Q&A with designer Anand Kabra…
1. As a designer, what inspires you? Have a muse?
Design is the medium I use to express myself. The collections are almost autobiographical…It is a story I tell which comes from a very personal space and it normally is what I sense, see and absorb from what’s going on around me. It could be a mood, art, cinema, anything that catches my eye and moves me.
My muse is a strong successful independent woman who has a mind of her own and has mastered the art of balancing all the roles she is expected to play without loosing her sense of self.
2. What is the core aesthetic that you aim for in your clothes?
Right now it is intelligent design, which stands for quality and luxury.
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3. Are you a procrastinator or do you usually have your collections planned the moment an inspiration or idea takes root?
I am very hyper as a person and once an idea takes root it is impossible for me to sit on it….I start living my inspiration and it has to be conceptualized almost immediately.
4. How has the high-end luxury brand influx in India changed the local fashion scene?
What I like about it is that it has created awareness of what is happening on a global level and we all are speaking the same language of fashion and interpreting it in our own way. It definitely has raised the bar for finish, design and luxury and its great that it forces everyone to fine tune their craft and skills. Also it is a great medium to learn about the business of fashion (brand building, pricing etc.)
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5. How do you feel about more and more celebrities choosing to wear International labels at various award functions and other public events? As a designer do you feel our homespun designers aren’t getting their due?
To each their own. Its cyclic… right now there is a need to flaunt international names and soon there will be a novelty in wearing Indian designers…That’s what fashion is all about….It doesn’t bother me.
6. How important are celebrity show-stoppers at fashion weeks? Do they bring welcome attention to a designer or only deflect serious attention from the business of fashion?
I can only speak for myself and I definitely do not believe in celebrity show stoppers. I personally feel that it does take away from the clothes and the seriousness of the business. I rather be remembered for what I put on the ramp rather than whom I put on it!
7. Five essentials that should take us through the seasons this year?
Well fitted jeans, White blouse or shirt, Good pair of stilettos, A little black dress and A traditional hand woven sari.
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8. How would you describe your own sense of style?
Very Indian in its sensibility…. genderless, comfortable and an expression of me!
9. Is it the clothing that adds allure to a woman or a woman who makes the clothing more alluring with her personality?
Both. I would hate it if my clothes overpowered the woman who was wearing it….To me it is very important that the essence of the person wearing my clothes is not lost. It also is very interesting to observe how they individualize it.
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10. And finally…
a. One word that describes you?
Hyper
b. A trend you wish would go away?
Shapeless sacks, bubble hemlines, dowdy chic
c. A trend you can’t get enough of?
None
d. Shoes or bags?
Both
e. If you weren’t a designer, you would be?
Lost
f. One thing Anand Kabra cannot live without?
His work!
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Anand Kabra Fall 09
Photo Credit: Viral Bhayani
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