Decoding tough femininity

His brand has a recognisable handwriting. Like every designer, he too has seen the ups and downs, however, his original aesthetic and point of view has always come to the forefront after each collection. His WIFW collection will be his 16th offering this evening. Over to the designer..

Tell us about your new collection
When I was 17, I spent two years in New Zealand and the references for this collection come from there and the M?ori civilisation. I was fascinated with facial tattoos on the faces of men and women, which were chiselled by bones and not needles. I wanted to expand the notion of femininity. The collection is tough-yet-feminine. I have used silver fern and Koru to create create spiral contouring depicting the cycle of life and death. I have put together the idea of primitive beauty, identity and family together. Nature and textiles have always inspired me, and this time, the collection is about the land and the culture of New Zealand.

I have toyed with the idea of the tattoo effect on organza, created stronger silhouettes and a lot of separates. There's laser cutting and embroidery on faux leather. However, there are no neon colours and the colour palette comprises of flesh, deep maroon, black and olive. I have also used wool and felt to create an illusion of fringed skirts with applique. There are a lot of over-sized jackets and other separates. So the whole idea is to take it beyond the obvious.

Have you tweaked your collection to suit Delhi?
It's not just Delhi but I'm catering to the global retailers. For me, it's more about what I want to show. I didn't want the collection to look tribal and kept it within the parameters of luxury and at the same time been respectful to the culture. It has to stand on its merit. In every collection, I do a few pieces which are inspired by trends.

Who is the NB woman?
Fashion is part of her life but not the basis of her existence. She likes things which are timely and timeless at the same time. The newness tickles her but she's got a good mix of the head and the heart.

Your PR machinery hasn't been strong enough. Is it a conscious attempt to shy away from the red carpet?
Today every thing from a bakery opening to any other event is red carpet. For me it's more about the quality and not quantity. My clothes are worn by well known people in their private lives in a more discreet format as opposed to red carpet which means two hours in the evening.

What are the NB signature elements?
Colour, a sense of interesting story telling, glamorous minimalism, which is about restraint and precision, a sense of empathy to women (they needn't starve for weeks to fit into my outfit) and authenticity (you can spot my outfit from a mile).

Your fave designers
I admire Madeleine Vionnet for inventing the bias cut, Coco Chanel for freeing fashion from costume dressing and YSL for taking fashion forward.

What's your take on the copycats? what's your take on socialites turning designers?
When I was working at Celine, there were 10 to 12 designers catering to the whole brand. Suddenly we seeing too many designers and fashion has become a hot ticket. Even internationally, we see an avalanche of interest in fashion. It's a flash flood and the silt will take time to settle down and the substance will be carried forward. If you are all about instant gratification or in other words in a rush to get the Instagram likes, for example, then you're missing the point. Having said that, nobody took Tory Burch and Victoria Beckham when they started 10 years ago, and today, they are bonafide brands. To reiterate the Darwin theory, only the fittest will survive.