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Caution, Kabra at work
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An out-of-bounds teenager has grown up to become Hyderabad’s favourite designer. Sangeetha Devi Dundoocatches up with the reclusive Anand Kabra
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In focusAnand Kabra on stage with models at the Lakme Fashion Week
Four seasons at the Lakme India Fashion Week in two years and Anand Kabra still breaks into a sweat before the big day. “My friends tell me I should relax since I’ve been there and done that. But I don’t want to become complacent,&#
8221; he asserts. Hyderabad’s upper crust swears by his designs and some of them fly down to Mumbai and cheer him at the Fashion Week. Anand is in no mood to rest on his laurels. Currently on an expansion mode throughout the country, he says, “There are too many things to do. I have unrealistic ambitions.” After a pause, he laughs, “I’ll be a miserable old man if things don’t work out.”
His studio in Panjagutta is a quiet departure from the madness outside. A flight of stairs leads you down to the barely-furnished studio with contrasting black and white walls. The centre table with a glass top reveals a resplendent red lehenga beneath it. “It’s my grandmother’s,” he says. The last two years have been a blur, with work and more work. “The Fashion Week is about designers showcasing their collections in five days. More than that, it opens up a new world. You are constantly meeting people – designers, buyers, media and guests – and getting feedback.”
Regional quirks
When he debuted at the Lakme Fashion Week in 2006, he was the sole representative from Hyderabad. “A few eyebrows were raised; but that is where the speculation ended and that is where I consciously wanted it to. We are designers representing India. Regional quirks and differences don’t make sense to me in the larger picture,” he says.
His Fashion Week debut happened seven years after he became a full-fledged designer. “Fashion is a technical industry. It’s important to understand what people want and where our country stands in terms of fashion and luxury brands and garments. I wanted to make mistakes and gain from the experience. Credibility comes before fame.”
The unmistakable creative streak manifested itself from school days, his friends recall. “Oh yeah,” laughs Anand. “If the whole class went in one direction I’d tread a different path. I was always sketching something or the other. I loved drawing classes and theatre. I loved to visualise the sets, lighting and clothes. Speaking of clothes, we had to just choose from Warehouse and Weekender back then,” he recalls.
After school, Anand had to take the tough call. He took up medicine to follow in his father Dr. Arun Kabra’s footsteps. “I was an average student, getting distinction plus. But I’d be kidding to say I got the medical seat by merit. It was a paid-for seat at Gulburga. I studied for a year and a half and on the sly, wrote the entrance exam for National Institute of Fashion Technology. One of my friend’s sisters was applying and that’s how I came to know about NIFT. I never knew I could make a living out of fashion. At that time, fashion wasn’t a career choice for guys. It was a girl thing, a stop gap between school and marriage. I got through and then told my parents.”
The initial shock made way for career shift. “They said I had to take responsibility for my actions. They gave me money to pay my fee. I went to Delhi to pay my fee but felt it wouldn’t work for me. I went back to medical school but after three months gave it up. My parents took up the issue seriously. They feared that I’d end up a glorious tailor. They said I should go to the best place and learn having decided to take up fashion for career. A half-hearted attempt wouldn’t do.” Anand was shipped off to London to study at the London College of Fashion. “It was a rough ride,” he recalls, refilling his glass with tea. “Today’s 18-year-old is different. We weren’t this street smart and independent. We were being spoon fed, looking for directions and not getting it.”
Anand returned to Hyderabad in 1999 and hasn’t looked back. His clientele has swelled and he’s become a name to reckon with. It has been a growing process. In between, he’s also worked for films. “I designed for Shriya’s Telugu films. But it got monotonous and I lost the thrill. Films help you reach the masses but mainstream clothing are my calling. I am selective.” Being selective also refers to not being a regular in the party circuit. Unlike the enfant terribles of Delhi and Mumbai fashion circuit, Anand says, “I did all that initially. I’ve grown up now. As long as my clothes are received well, I’m happy; no one needs to know what I look like and what are my interests.”
Kabra Speak
Designer friends: “Egos are fragile and it takes a confident and mature person to raise above all this and make friends. A couple of designers are my close friends.”
Malena: The Italian film starring Monica Belluci was his inspiration behind the recent Fashion Week collection. “Every collection of mine tells a story. This, symbolised by the dry pink rose, meant return to innocence.”
Flower fervour: A large lotus tattoo on his left forearm speaks of his fascination for flowers. “And this one is a ferocious lotus.”
Page 3: “A lot of people in the social circuit are my clients. I don’t see the need to be seen at parties to build my brand. If my clothes work, I am happy. Likewise, no one in Mumbai’s social circuit needs to know how I look like as long as they like my clothes. I used to be a party animal but I have grown up.”
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Bangalore
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