We don’t mean to flatter him but the truth is there is nothing about Hemant Trevedi (apart from his birth certificate) that can tell you of his age. The designer is turning 50 and he is in a mood to celebrate. So the usually reticent designer is throwing a big bash to bring in his 50th birthday on November 21.
“The dress code is white with a dash of gold as the former colour represents freshness while the latter stands for my golden 50 years. And the response I have got is humbling. I have called a whole lot of friends, including many who I am not much in touch with,” said Hemant.
So how has the journey been so far? “It has been a mixed bag. One of my biggest moments would be my graduation ceremony as I was the first male to pass out of Perth Technical College of Fashion Design. Then I came back to India at a time (80s) when a man in the fashion world was a rarity and not something you wanted your son to do. But I wanted to prove myself,” he said.
“The important thing is you have to do things yourself — no one will do it for you. When I met with a near fatal accident in 2000, it was my sheer grit and determination that helped me bounce back. That was when a lot of people who I thought were friends turned their back on me. But I didn’t get bogged down. In that very year, I was on the jury of the Miss World and I also won a ‘Designer of the Year’ award. Then in 2004, I got the Australian Alumni High Achiever Award,” he said.
And does he have a whole lot of friends in the industry? “This is a very vain industry where egos fly high. Insecurity is a big part of many lives which is why I have very few true friends. Amongst the designers, I appreciate Wendell Rodricks and Shahab Durazi. I am a bit like Shahab in that we like to stay out of the limelight,” he said.
Does he have any regrets? “It’s not that I cry into the pillow every night but there are times when I think how things would have turned out had I got married and had a regular family. Then again, I do my share of charity and I have even been sponsoring the education of several children through World Vision for some years now. So that’s good enough, I guess,” he said.
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