of clothing, the balance of a garment. With Halston, Khan
also immersed himself in the cultural fabric of the city. The
New York of Elizabeth Taylor and Betty Ford and Liza
Minnelli and Truman Capote and Andy Warhol, who taught
him to draw. “Designing is important, but passion is about
how you live, how you interact with society. To know the
woman you’re designing for, you have to be a part of that
society,” he says. “When I would come back to India,
my parents—they’re simple folks—would scold me
for things. My two lives were so weird, and I kept
them separate. There was Studio 54 and then the
Indian household. When I would get on a plane, it was
almost like taking off a skin.”
Not so anymore. It’s not a matter of
reconciling different identities—he’s been
away longer than he lived in India—but
about embracing how well they inform
his designs. Cultures co-exist in his
clothes, just as in his life. His Fall 2018
range, which he showcased at New York
Fashion Week, celebrated the idea of a
global woman, awash with influences
from Spanish ruffles to Peruvian
handiwork and, of course, Indian
embroidery. A powerful display of
diversity by an Indian immigrant in post-
Trump America. “Last collection was all
about empowerment. That was more of a
political move than an art move, where
you’re saying you want the world to be a
big beautiful place. We’re becoming aware
that we all need to be more united.”
In the 36 years he’s been in the industry,
he’s lost the Afro from when he first started out, but kept the
restlessness, the need to do more. Which brings us to his most
ambitious project till date—a fashion school in Miami, adjacent to
his new headquarters, expected to open in 2021. “The thought
was, how could I teach the techniques that I’ve learned and
mastered, with my relationship with India and the rest of the
world? Fashion is not just art, it’s economics and business. If you
can’t combine the two, you can be the greatest artist in the world
but you’ll die hungry. I want to have a school so students can see
learn how the industry runs.”
Recently, he also launched a new, more affordable label, NK32
Naeem Khan at Neiman Marcus stores across the United States.
And though he doesn’t plan to retail in India anytime soon—the
chaos that sparks his creativity stifles business—he looks to his
motherland for validation. “It used to bug me, dressing the First Lady
and not getting any acknowledgement from the government; not a
thank you, but that they were proud of my work,” he says. “I still seek
approval from India, it’s my people.” ■Fall 2018Fall 2018Fall 2018Fall 2012“My Indianness
comes from the
chaos, the colour,
the embroidery,
when there is no
inhibition of mixing
colours. What
I know in fashion is
from India.”
VICTOR VIRGILE/GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES; FILIPPO FIOR / IMAXTREEBazaar
STYLE