STYLE
IMAGE: CHE KURRIEN (MODELS, INTERIOR)Details from Sabysachi’s
Kashgaar Bazaar
collection, which featured
the designer’s passion for
richly layered embroidery
and fluid silhouettes that
referenced the codes of
global streetwearelse. They want to be dressed up in Sabyasachi, and
want that one photo for their WhatsApp, Instagram
and Facebook profiles.”
Meeta Ghose, Head of Jewellery at Sabyasachi, has
known the designer since he was a reserved, poetry-
loving 14-year-old. She recalls how difficult it was to
get him to embrace Instagram. Then one day, while
sitting in a traffic jam, she persuaded him to take a
look on his phone. He viewed the app, and exclaimed
with endearing paisa vasool logic, “It’s free!” According
to a recent profile in Business Of Fashion, the brand
now does 40 per cent of its business through the social
media platform.THE MAN HIMSELF
Sabya acknowledges that he’s an introvert, and
his close friends say he’s not interested in endless
socialising or parties. He likes meaningful, one-on-
one conversations, where he can happily hold forth
for hours on an infinite range of subjects; after all,
the tradition of the Bengali adda is in his blood. At
his 19th-century mansion in Kolkata’s leafy Alipore,
evenings will see his team gather over platefuls of
wholesome maccher jhol and bati chorchori, followed
by homemade coconut cake with dark chocolate sauce
in an informal dining setting. A silky, golden pack of
beloved cocker spaniels, called Richard, George and
Raghu (Richard has the most outgoing personality),
mill around, adding to the homely, relaxed atmosphere.
Like his clothes, Sabya’s home balances opulent
excess with a cohesive aesthetic. Think an aesthete’s
bachelor pad. Bars are a source of inspiration: leather
Chesterfield sofas, footstools accented with coverings
made from exquisite, antique Kantha textiles, teak
panelled ceilings, piles of books, paintings, antiquities,
engraved mirrors and chandeliers that rival anything
owned by maharajas of yore. Again, his unique ability
to draw on a wide mix of influences and materials,
and filter it seamlessly through a sepia-toned lens of
nostalgia, is evident. This may be a private home, but
it’s undoubtedly the inspiration for a boutique hotel,
part of a larger, grand vision.THE MODERN SABYASACHI MAN &
LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES
Given the sumptuousness of his house, his passion
for textiles and decorative arts and the new direction
represented by the Kashgaar Bazaar show, with its
louche silhouettes and layered embroidery, it comes
as no surprise that Sabya cites 19th-century aesthete,
dandy and celebrated author Oscar Wilde as most
completely embodying the idea of the Sabyasachi
man. Wilde is his favourite author, “because he made
the boundaries of masculinity limitless.” His other
artistic heroes include: “Leonard Cohen, whose music
embodies the depth, gravitas and a certain sense of
classicism, which is really what modernity is about.
And Jared Leto: He’s fiercely unapologetic about
embracing both his masculine and his feminine side,
and today when gender fluidity is such an important
topic of conversation, he represents the essence of the
modern man beautifully.”"THIS WAS MY most HONEST
COLLECTION BECAUSE I DIDN’T
DO WHAT WAS NECESSARY
TO MAKE MONEY, BUT WHAT
WAS NECESSARY FROM AN
AESTHETIC POINT OF VIEW"