After receiving accolades from fashion experts for designing the bold full-length black velvet gown for Hollywood actor Allison Janney, which she wore to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards, the next on the wish list of Odisha-born fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra is another Hollywood A-lister, Meryl Streep.
The gown worn by Janney, who won the Best Supporting Actress for ‘I, Tonya’ at the BAFTA earlier this week, had literally left the onlookers mesmerised.
Mohapatra, who hails from Rourkela, is already a big name in the fashion world and has successfully designed for America’s most influential personalities such as Michelle Obama, Jennifer lopez, Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow.
When asked who he aspires to design for, the New York-based designer quickly replied, “Meryl (Streep)”. “I’m madly in love with her. I mean who is notIJ She’s the one who inspires me.”
Explaining further about Janney’s silk velvet column gown, a collection from his fall-winter 2018 runway at the New York Fashion Week, Mohapatra said the dress was all about “strength” and “confidence”.
“I hope to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people who are already making an effort to stand up against inequality and injustice and violence against women. I hope it will be perceived that way. To me, this gown speaks of strength and confidence,” he added.
The Odisha lad might be staying away from his motherland for so long, but never forgets to give credit to the most important woman in his life, his mother, who, according to him, has instilled a love for sewing in him at a tender age. “I have been shaped by the woman in my life; my mother taught me how to sew when I was 14 years old,” he said.
The same gown, identical to the one donned by the actress, will be available for sale for about $3,900-$4,400 at bibhu.com by the end of next month, he added.