Entering into Bibhu Mohapatra’s elegant Tribeca atelier, it may appear simple to identify what conjures up the famend Indian-born, New York-based designer. There are the wealthy hues of coloration boards and a set of trend’s best tomes. But for Mohapatra, there’s one other, much less tangible muse that conjures up his couture creations: his recollections. Mohapatra fondly recollects his mom educating him the best way to sew, sowing into his pursuits on the ripe age of 12 of their dwelling in India. He gleans inspiration from moments like that to decorate these at trend’s pinnacle, folks like Michelle Obama, Lupita Nyong’o, and Priyanka Chopra. However the recollections he holds closest to his coronary heart are these related to Diwali.
Also called the Competition of Lights, it marks a time of pleasure and prosperity, of formality and togetherness. For Mohapatra, it reminds him of glowing diyas flickering by the evening, fireworks bursting with abandon, and household close to and much. Diwali, a five-day celebration, can also be a time to highlight trend and encourage those that take part to precise themselves sartorially.
So when The Glenlivet, a scotch whisky model, tasked Mohapatra with making a bespoke costume for mannequin and entrepreneur Pritika Swarup to debut at this 12 months’s Diwali Gala, hosted by Maneesh Ok. Goyal and Alvina Patel at The Mandarin Oriental, it was no shock that he turned to his childhood recollections to create the look. His instant thought revolved round fireworks.
“Diwali is all about happiness, and a few of my happiest moments had been spent with household. My father would take me to the store two days earlier than to select firecrackers. We might go to our constructing rooftops, gentle the diyas, and watch the burst of colourful fireworks explode,” he mentioned.
Shimmering just like the evening sky, the designer’s one-of-a-kind robe is a masterpiece of intricate handiwork. The fitted bodice is reduce from decadent black velvet and symbolizes the “starting,” when the evening sky simply begins to darken. The intricate beadwork options over 500 crystals, 6,000 cup sequins, and over 1,000 Japanese bugle beads. The embroidery is about towards a smooth black silk skirt that flows right into a dramatic practice.
When designing the costume, Mohapatra sought commonalities between Diwali, Swarup, and The Glenlivet. He famous how Swarup represents the fashionable, empowered girl who makes use of her platform to drive change by her acutely aware magnificence model, Prakti Magnificence. As for The Glenlivet, for over two centuries, the model has introduced family members collectively to toast to life’s triumphs and tribulations. “The largest similarity is appreciating heritage and traditions, however with a contemporary outlook that can also be targeted on setting new requirements and reaching new heights. Identical to the remainder of my work, I targeted on this juxtaposition to create one thing fashionable however timeless.”
The method of ideating, sketching, and finally making the costume took about two months, with Mohapatra working with specialists in his homeland. “We get a variety of assist from the artisanal communities in India who’ve stored the craft alive for generations. 4 or 5 extremely expert artisans spent over 4 weeks doing the embroidery for this costume,” he defined. After the embroidery course of, the costume was shipped to New York, the place two skilled seamstresses at Mohapatra’s atelier spent every week hand-stitching the items collectively.
As a designer, Mohapatra’s work isn’t strictly literal. In reality, his inspiration is rooted in analysis and his personal private {and professional} experiences to present couture a recent voice—one that mixes innovation and heritage. Nonetheless, he retains in thoughts that, on the finish of the day, it doesn’t matter what you might be carrying, confidence is the most effective accent. “Garments could be your assist system and offer you energy. Regardless of who I’m dressing, once they placed on considered one of my items, I at all times ask, ‘How do you’re feeling?’ Let the design converse to you.”
