Samant Chauhan’s new design studio at Shahpur Jat is an ode to his multi-faceted talent. Team Viva reports on-site
It has finally come full circle for designer Samant Chauhan. After graduating from NIFT, he gave shape to his designs in a single-floor tenement in the serpentine turns of Shahpur Jat. Today, he has a full-fledged design studio spread over three levels in this hip hangout.
It’s not just a store but a reinvention of his oeuvre. The designer is currently working on a denim line, trousers below Rs 5,000, shirts and T-shirts, one of which has his signature ramp walks emblazoned across it. There’s a new line of charcoal grey leather bags, leather shoes, home decor and an experimental jewellery collection, complete with medallions.
“I was alone those days. The ground floor was my studio and I used to live on the floor above it. I lived here for one-and-half or two years I believe. The house number was 421. I didn’t get that corner building but came pretty close to it (his store is at 417). I have matured and gotten older here. So I always intended to open my signature store here and have been saving up over a period of time. Of course, the character of Shahpur Jat has changed but we see still the discerning clients, particularly foreigners, heading here instead of glitzy designer malls. Foreign visitors, in particular, want to absorb the actual character of India. So they see our craftsmen working on an embroidery and get fascinated by it,” Chauhan tells us. The master craftsmen working behind the studio will offer a sneak peek into their humdrum world.
At the entrance is a sofa for his guests, kitted out in his trademark — the finest Bhagalpuri raw silk — and an embroidered patch at the back. Chauhan is now replicating the success of Bhagalpuri silk in other home-grown fabrics and textures. “We have started working with Chanderi and organza because they are lightweight. We have developed handloom denim with the help of the Denim Club of India in Bijnore and we are currently working on Kota saris and Phulia. Cottons were always there though the silk got talked about more,” says he.
The designer’s wooden furniture immediately draws your attention, particularly the chandelier with an overlapping door and window fixed together simply because one was not strong enough to be suspended alone. “These are all broken, discarded pieces that I have retrieved and pieced together, like that coffee table put together entirely from broken wood pieces and shards that nobody wants,” he says.
Chauhan is using his reuse and recycle mantra everywhere. His home furnishing line and a permanent 50 per cent discounted clothes rack make use of leftover fabric from each collection he spools out. “We make cushion covers and bed sheets out of it. It’s more like an archive of our work.”
More than the commercial aspect, Chauhan sees this studio as a process of learning and an art residency of sorts. “I have observed that whether it’s the Press, a buyer or a student, they want to know how we work. This is where they will get a demonstration,” he emphasises, pointing to the solid wood discussion tables and throwabout stools on each floor, meant for displays.
As somebody who single-handedly rescued Bhagalpur silk, what does he think of the “Make in India” bandwagonIJ And Chauhan does some straight-talking. “I think 90 per cent of the designers who are on board are trying to help create a buzz which revolves around selling that particular product, but ultimately the product has to be good. No matter what your story is. When we used to participate in any event, we used to work on an elaborate write-up, list the weavers’ names and other factoids. A lot of people started doing the same. So we said OK, let’s just be silent and let our work speak for itself. Despite commercial pressures, you will not see me using any kind of polyester or Chinese fabric. Nowadays, if buyers like your design, they put a lot of pressure to change the fabric, especially if they want to order more. I have categorically mentioned that I do not fall into the evening wear category as that would mean a compromise.”
That doesn’t mean Chauhan is not into ceremonial wear. We spot richly embroidered bridal lehengas, some weighing around 18-19 kg. “I know it’s a tad too heavy but when we ask the customer if we should remove some of the embroidery so that they can walk around better, they say ‘No’, they will manage.” Such is the delicate artistry, palette and contemporaneity of the design that it is difficult to resist the original.
Chauhan is happy his weavers are doing better. Nowadays, his weavers are running as many as 15-20 looms. “We try and develop around two or three fabrics every season because our orders are not that big. We get around 2,000 to 3,000 units. But I am proud to say that some of them today are running a really big business, like bigger than me when we started. With the whole Fab India style business model coming into the picture, it has become really massive. It’s good to see our weavers empowered and continuing their artistry,” he informs us.
That’s typically Chauhan. Humble, simple, grounded yet sure-footed and happy. Serving every guest himself, he tells us, “You know, I still don’t think I belong to this industry or understand how it works. So, we just try and stick to our own work. We have a huge team now and within our team we argue sometimes, ‘We have to do this and that.’ I just tell them, ‘We just need to do a nice collection, that’s it.’”