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This pink chiffon number was the ‘darling of the show’, says the 34-year-old Bibhu Mohapatra, director of design for J. Mendel, referring to the runway show at New York’s Fashion Week, a few months ago. ‘A delightful colour burst’, wrote one reviewer who was obviously charmed by the dress’s salmon hue and the rosy, hand-painted embellishments of its pleated tulle underskirt.
"We can take the most expensive material and cut it apart," explains Mohapatra, who spent months with his team in his New York studio, sketching, editing, sampling and fitting the garment, before deciding to lop off most of its lower half just two nights before the show. In the workroom, he says, anything goes – as long as the result is ‘like a little jewel’. It is a progression as curious and irregular as the one by which this Rourkela, Orissa, native ended up as a major creative force at J. Mendel, a French fashion house that has boutiques in New York, Paris and Aspen, Colorado.
"I always knew that I was going to go into fashion," says Mohapatra, who studied economics in India, then earned his masters in economics from Utah State University (USA) before moving to New York. "I guess I was just waiting for the right time." He certainly found it. J. Mendel, best known for its luxurious furs, recently hired the FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology, New York) graduate to help the company branch out into less rarefied domains of couture. Mohapatra was developing J. Mendel’s new ready-to-wear line last fall, when he was named the company’s director of design.
While Mohapatra’s primary goal has been to "take some traditional elements of fur and try to present it in ready-to-wear," he has also introduced a hint of India into J. Mendel’s old-world French couture, from the brilliant ‘rani pink’ of one particular dress, to the antique crystals and tiny mirrors (hand-cut in Mumbai) that he uses for trim on a wide range of items.
These days, the Indian influence can be seen all over the world of fashion. In March, Women’s Wear Daily (considered by many to be the fashion bible) ran a cover story on western designers who had ‘embraced colourful and embellished Indian style’. There was ‘tons of Rajasthan’ in Alexander McQueen’s last collection, Mohapatra points out. "That was a literal translation," he says, adding that his designs for J. Mendel show more restraint. But, Mohapatra maintains that if he were ever to start his own line in India, his clothes would be, "different, with a lot of Indian flair."
He also adds, with a gleam in his eye, that it would be nice to have pani puri whenever he craved it!
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While Mohapatra‚s primary goal has been to "take some traditional elements of fur and try to present it in ready-to-wear," he has also introduced a hint of India into J. Mendel‚s old-world French couture, from the brilliant rani pink‚ of one particular dress, to the antique crystals and tiny mirrors (hand-cut in Mumbai) that he uses for trim on a wide range of items.
