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Unassuming, unpretentious and unfussy, adjectives that you really don't associate with celebrities, define Masaba Gupta. She is a heady mix of youth and success. Equally candid, she neither calls a question pass, nor reverts with a politically correct answer. And all this doesn't require a conscious effort. That's how she has been, always upfront, a personality trait that she says is genetically acquired from her mother Neena Gupta. The same honesty seeps in whatever she makes at House of Masaba and Satya Paul.
She was barely 24 when she took over as the creative director of the Satya Paul in 2012. A leader to mostly older employees, in age and experience, it took her a few months to settle down in her new job, "I didn't know how to respond when my teammates came seeking advice about their personal issues," says the designer. Soon she realised that running a corporate-designer house was a bigger responsibility than managing her own designer house. While she is the sole authority at her design house, at Satya Paul, she is a part of the hierarchical set-up and has to work in co-ordination with other departments. "There were several other challenges. To begin with, I was taking over an extremely successful venture and there was no scope for producing average products. Also I had to come up with something that was a harmonious blend of my eponymous label and Satya Paul's signature prints." The impact of the feat, however, she says, hasn't sunk in even after two years. Or that too consciously she ensures doesn't happen, "I refuse to ponder over it and only that helps me focus better." After she is through with the day's work, just like other youngsters, she loves to watch Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy and Homeland. "I can watch television for hours. Give me a holiday and I won't mind doing that all the time." Rather than picking random prints, she prefers her designs to be story-like that has a beginning and an ending. Like a shirt has a running tap at the top end and a bucket placed quirkily just over the hemline or placing scissors that seems like splitting a skirt for a high slit! "If you have an out-of-the-box idea, you should also be able to execute and explain it. I call these interactive prints." She proudly admits that many other designers have followed her. Bling doesn't feature in her scheme of things, though that has been the biggest selling point for Indian designers for years now. "I have been advised many a times that some sequins, minimal embroidery might boost my clientele but I can't make myself do that. I fail to get this demand-and-supply ratio, though I believe quality work generates demand on its own and doesn't need bling as a prop."
Aversion for bling is partly acquired from her mother, who is a Kanjeevaram loyalist and partly from her mentor Wendell Rodricks. "He still hasn't changed his way of working and I admire him for that." Now that she holding a senior position in a designer corporate house, some changes might set in and she doesn't deny that. "My next collection will have its share of bling but in a subtle way, the way I see it." And she categorises that collection as semi-couture. Bridal doesn't feature anywhere in her future plans and she would like to have a status quo on that. "Today, pr`EAt is catching up, in terms of clientele and popularity, with bridal wear." She credits online stores for blurring this discrepancy and taking pr`EAt to the masses. If she terms bling as one extreme of fashion, she pits 'strictly handloom' as another extreme. If bling helps propel sales, handloom suffers on account of its commercial viability. "I am a fan of handloom but how many people would barter a beautifully printed synthetic saree for a plain, staid handloom one," she questions. But she has her favourites from the industry who are forwarding the case of handlooms, "I love Anavila Sindhu Misra and Sanjay Garg's work." As for her, she still finds solace in her quirky prints. Revolutionary prints You can spot Masaba's signature prints camera, palms, lipsticks`85.at any retail store now. The replicas have flooded the market and these are hit with masses. But the girl, who revolutionised prints and pr`EAt of Indian fashion, isn't hassled by the scenario. What, in fact, bothers her is that many of her colleagues are working with quirky prints just for the heck of it and that ensures a short cut to popularity. "I wish we could ban some for making quirk look silly." If there is one designer, who has never gone wrong with it, it is Manish Arora, says Masaba.
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