Designer Khushali Kumar, who recently was in news for dressing up icons like Shakira and Justin Bieber, tells D Kaushik that experiments with embroidery, fabrics and textures help her come up with edgy designs
Be it lady Gaga, Paris Hilton or Katy Perry and Nicki Minaz, we have enough examples of international icons who have made headlines by flaunting creations by Indian designers.
Fashion designers like Manish Arora, Shane and Falguni Peacock and Shantanu and Nikhil have been the favourite of divas known for their unique dressing sense, and Khushali Kumar is an addition to the list. Recently, the designer was in news for dressing up Shakira and Justin Bieber. Sister of T-Series honcho, Bhushan Kumar, has designed for many Bollywood personalities as well and has been earning accolades for her collection showcased during the lakme Fashion Week. Ask her what makes her designs popular, and pat comes the reply, “It is originality. In the fashion industry, we have so many examples to prove that all those who have believed in being original and have come up with some innovative ideas, have climbed up the ladder. A lot of thought goes into the designing process. It is not just about drawing an inspiration and coming up with the design. I innovate new techniques and think of ways to make the design look different. I work a lot on the textures, my embroidery is not the usual one. I develop new form of fabric with the use of silk chiffons. To give you an example, what I created for Shakira was with the broken metal look. It was very edgy and suited her personality well. She was making a comeback to the screen after being a mother and she needed something which defined her strong persona. My collection always comes across as powerful yet elegant and that’s why a dress was chosen for her. Use of metal is one thing that sets my designs apart.”
While growing up in a filmy family, interest in music, theatre and art was obvious. But she insists that it is designing that has remained a passion to her. “Even as a child I was always drawing or sketching something. I realised that designing is my true calling when I wanted a specific design for myself and I could not find it anywhere. I gave up and decided to design my own dress. It was loved by everyone and I was encouraged to continue designing for my own wardrobe. Whatever I wore, people loved and requested me to create the same for them. So for the formal training I went to NIFT and from then on it has been a lot of research and experimentation to set my mark in the fashion industry,” says Khushali, who is proud to add that in the Western world her creations are a big rage. No wonder that Justin Bieber’s stylist approached her when they wanted something for his new video. “The video was all about how he is dealing with the fame at a young age. How he wants to break away from the pressures and how he is trying to escape his girlfriend. I was thrilled when I was informed that a piece from my collection is perfect for him,” she tells us.
The designer so far has no plans to switch to Bollywood as a costume designer for films. “I love my own space and liberty to create what I want. Designing for films is a different ballgame as you have to keep in mind lot of factors, like the characters, time period and storyline,” she comments. At present, Khushali is preparing for her July show in Paris.