Her ensembles speak of an understated elegance marked by a restrained, classic style. And the uniqueness of her style lies in creating a wearable canvas by use of hand paint on fabrics as Neeta Bhargava subtly draws her inspiration ranges from Mughal art to Persian architecture, from jewellery to graphic art and from Renaissance to Baroque art. For her the excellence of every art is its intensity, capable of making all disagreeable evaporate, bringing out the close relationship between beauty and truth.Fashionfad.in gets a tete-a tete with the designer of art about her fashion, art, inspirations, designs and muses.
Tell us the story of how and when you started with your label?
With the raging passion for art & determination to achieve, I entered the world of creativity & fashion with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. I started my artistic career in 1993 by specializing in Tanjore paintings. After being established I merged my artistic talent with my passion for fashion & established my own design studio in 1994.
Which designer gave you the most inspiration in your fashion career?
Alexander Mcqueen
How do you look back on your journey as a designer?
It’s being a fruitful & satisfying journey being started with a small unit & few workers to an expansion of about 10 times bigger unit in the fashion industry. I have reached the height of success as a fashion designer being grown in terms of design, art, creativity & innovation.
If you are on a budget and can afford only a great haircut, a great handbag, or a statement coat, what should you invest in to give you the most personal style?
I would like to invest on enhancing my hairstyle as it speaks my personality.
What is your thought on the future of fashion? More specifically, what kind of changes will you bring to your brand?
My thought for future fashion is "Pret – a – Porter".I would like to bring about changes in terms of Eco- friendly & resort wear garments.
What inspires you most to design?
Hands painting are my sole inspiration for designing. My designs have motifs which can be worn traditionally as well as westernized.
What house/brand would you design if you were not Neeta Bhargava and why?
I would design for ARMANI as its collections are incomparable & are beyond imagination. The Armani name has become synonymous with fashion & couture worldwide & is considered one of the most prestigious name in the fashion industry.
The clothing you create is amazing. How do you keep even going through the hard times, or design blocks?
Life is a cycle. It keeps moving. Despite of the hard times we have to find our way in midst of all the blocks. I help myself find the way & move forward by positive thinking, self healing & reading books.
What was your inspirational item or person when you came up with your first collection?
Indian architecture has been my biggest inspiration through which I came up with my first collection & established myself as a designer. The carvings of the monuments inspired me to create motifs which I merged with my painting skills.
High fashion can be very expensive and also ephemeral; keeping this in mind and the fact that there is a global economic crisis, not to mention a growing percentile of famine, poverty, pollution, disease, and conflict, what advice would you give in order to maintain a personal balance between investing time and money in fashion and altruistic involvement toward improvement in society and the environmental?
Keeping intact both the global economic condition & fashion, I would give a Eco-friendly, resort wear & a spa wear ready to wear garments. These garments are such that it is easily affordable and at the same time stylish & are at minimum price range.
What are the fashion essentials that a person has to have in order to exude glamour?
Confining oneself to a boundary is not fashion. Fashion is not that is restricted. It involves in every small thing that we do in our life. To exude glamour, fashion should be concentrated from head to toe. Only than a look can be complete.
Which decade do you think is most important to fashion, and how are you inspired by that decade?
80s fashion had been very memorable & distinctive. This decade had been a major inspiration for the fashion industry. My inspiration from 80s fashion was to give a way to women to express their individuality & creativity. It takes the former approach & relish the excess & outrageous fashion that the 80s managed to make mainstream. They didn’t ‘ accessorize’ – they ‘ accessorized’.
