Interview With Abhishek Dutta
Hi,
For all those aspiring fashion designers here is a fashion feast for you. Read an exclusive interview of the most famed fashion designer 'Abhishek Dutta'
My life, My journey
A brief info about your family
I come from a artistic family both my parents being from the Indian art college. But I was bought up by a single parent that is my mother since my father passed away at a very early age.
You aspired for a seat at IIT, then how did you get into the world of glamor with such popularity in a short span?
It was a kind of an accident since I couldn’t get through the IIT that year my mother got in a form of a fashion college where I got through the admission test very smoothly and thought of giving it a try for a semester. Gradually I was quite interested and being the teachers favorite got a lot of encouragement.
What were the challenges you had to face while climbing up the ladder?
Since I was from a middle class family and didn’t have adequate finance to support my studies as well as the launch my own label I really had to struggle hard and earn extra bucks by teaching Maths and English(being good in studies really helps at times) free lancing for different export house as well as for designers But the real break came to me at a very initial age of 20 where as in I launched my label at Ogaan.
If you weren't a designer you would be ----------------------------
Very difficult question because I have been a dreamer all my life and wanted to become a lot of things at different stages of life. Starting from a fighter pilot to an engineer (since I was very good in Science) but finally I think I would have been a car designer Give would have given me the creative edge as well as my fascination for speed.
Please share your experience while designing clothes for the Femina Miss India 2001.
It was a great experience designing for Deepti who also used to be a good friend. But hardly few people know a very imp incident associated with this. My 1 month old car got stolen with the Miss India outfit as I had parked it just before a week of the event. It was maddening since I had to redo the entire stuff in just two days compared to what I had done in a months time.
Tell us about the list of Award titles conferred on you.
I bagged the “Most creative designer award” at my graduating show and the biggest award which I actually got was “the Smirnoff International Fashion Award” in 1990.
At present you retail in about twenty stores across the country including the the country's leading boutiques such as Kimaya, Samsara (Delhi), Ishna Aza, Kimaya (Mumbai), Origins, Oorja & Elahe (Hyderabad) Little India, Cima Designs & Intrigue (Kolkata) Mogra (Bangalore. What are the other areas that you would like to explore in the next 5 years time?
Fashion industry is fast so I only see myself beyond 2 yrs and hopefully by then I want to have my flagship or franchise store in the metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad for sure and want to explore more in the international markets like Australia, Paris and US.
The celebrity you would love to design clothes for.
Maddona since I think she has got a very strong style statement so dressing her in something unique will be a big challenge.
'Abhsishek Dutta' in one word
Creative
The World Of Fashion
If you were asked to rate on what do you master in, designing apparels, trendy accessories and footwear, how would you rank and why?
Definitely apparels because thats what I started with and that’s where my forte lies other are the extensions of my creative ideas.
Can an aspiring new fashion designer pave his way right up to the top of the fashion world only with creativity?
Creativity is very important but you have to be practical at the same time. You can create the best of the clothes but if they don’t sell you’ll be a complete failure. An ideal designer is perfect combination of creative person with a good sense a of marketing and a strong idea of textile.
The Other World Of Abhishek
You love reading books. What are the recent books that you enjoyed reading all alone in a tranquil place.
I used to be a book worm but, sadly my profession really doesn’t give me the time to relax and read anymore.
In one of the interviews you spoke about your love for pets that were very dangerous like pythons... Do you still have that craze? How many pets do you have?
I love animals. I still have two boxers with me who are extremely playful. In past I had a python, two hawks ,two mongoose and a golden retriever. The hawks were not caged as they were trained and used to be in the open and so where the mongoose.
Many journalist portray you as a spiritual man, who devotes his Sunday mornings for a darshan at the Kalighat temple and a visit to the nearby Missionaries of Charity home. So, have you thought of portraying your spirituality in fashion? Or do you consider both of them in different terrains ?
I think that’s my belief and I don’t want to mix my belief with my profession. As for the charity I do like to share my profits with the underprivileged ones since it actually gives me a different happiness.
Your idea of romance
My idea of romance will be a candle light dinner with my wife or a no work tension holiday(which can be anywhere).
Abhishek Dutta the world doesn't know
The world actually doesn’t know that still I die to watch cartoon network and enjoy the most playing with my two dogs and my one year old naughty son.
Lakme Fashion Week
Your Idea behind the theme ' Save the Girl Child’ at LFW
History has always mentioned about the power of women. We all know how important it is to take the initiative to save a girl child in today’s society, as there is view in our society that everybody wants boy child nobody wants girl child, and if does happen they blame women, our theme is in support to combat all this orthodox view from our society.
Your comment on the recent controversy of your child walking on the ramp in 'Lakme Fashion Week'?
I think it was just an accident and the amount its being talked about is not justified. It’s not a garment malfunction that the designer is to be blamed for and the whole point of taking a kid is to portray the innocence and the beauty of the child.
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