Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Vidya Balan : A not so Dirty Picture,Mashallah!

How could I write a blog about Sabyasachi and not talk about the magical transformation of Vidya Balan? The critics have been rather unkind about Vidya’s appearances in the past, though things changed for good now that Sabyasachi has taken her under his wing and transformed her into this gorgeous, stunning, glowing, radiant goddess! 

Sabyasachi works for Vidya because when Vidya wears a Sabyasachi outfit it does not look bolted on. There is an intelligent, playful tone and an inherent confidence , which connects with Vidya’s personality. It feels like an output of an enthusiast. One gets a sense of genuine pleasure being taken. You can’t fake this stuff, when it’s real you can almost feel it.

It is evident that Vidya Balan is comfortable in a Sabyasachi creation, she exudes confidence and sensuality. She does not hide behind the clothes, she comes across as someone real, someone who is comfortable in their own skin. What is most commendable is how a Sabyasachi outfit shines and demands attention without overshadowing Vidya’s beauty.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s and Vidya Balan’s partnership goes back to 2009 when he dressed her for the film Paa.

In an interview this is what Sabyasachi  Mukherjee had to say:

"Vidya Balan was in a crisis, everyone was panning her choice of clothes. Vidya doesn't flaunt herself like a girl. We agreed that saris and salwar kameezes would work best. Vidya admitted to having a fetish for cotton saris. "I wanted to create the impression that she couldn't be replaced by another actress. I couldn't let her fall into the clone trap. She lands in danger zone if she is pushed into looking like someone she is not..  "In Paa, I made Vidya wear 700 cotton saris. In No One Killed Jessica, I decided on understated kurtas and jeans. Nobody noticed what she wore. She shot for Kahaani in four outfits I picked up from Gap, Banana Republic and Anokhi. She runs through the film in maternity wear. She's an actor. Does anyone care what Meryl Streep wears?"

In my eyes Sabyasachi can do no wrong. With Vidya, Sabyasachi has shown the world that curves can be very sexy and the sari the most stunning fashion alternative for women. Sabyasachi likes to keep things simple and this is what he did with Vidya  which worked wonders for both of them. I am not sure why critics keep moaning about Vidya’s style being repetitive. if she looks beautiful , feels comfortable and turns heads in a Sabyasachi outfit why would she not repeat it? Would the critics not want to look and feel beautiful every day?

As pictures speak louder than words here are some stunning photos of Vidya Balan in Sabyasachi outfits.

The magic formula:

Vidya Balan in a Sabyasachi Mukherjee creation = Beautiful + Stunning + Feminine + Confident + Timeless + Gorgeous + Addictive

Do you agree? Leave your comments and thoughts :)

Sabyasachi and Nostalgia - Do we go backward to go forward?

The power of nostalgia is undeniably a serious business,  and a very profitable one too. We always look back longingly to the past and no one understands this better than Sabyasachi Mukherjee. He has used the power of nostalgia and shown us how it can be glamorous, feminine and pretty all in one. Before I go on to talk more about this I think it will be helpful to define the meaning of the word ‘new’ in fashion?

New is innovative, it is something that is changed in an existing product design or creation of something that has never been witnessed before. Sometimes people think it is new or modern but in fact it is not, for instance let us take the pop sensation Lady Gaga’s style in clothing. She has taken the old Punk, Goth and Madonna’s old style and tailored it to suit her own needs making the old into something new!

Likewise, Sabyasachi has shown that modern fashion does not need to be showcased with the unknown, he has

simply looked back at what was fashionable once and effortlessly used it once again – almost like travelling back in time, like painting over old landscapes whose surfaces are already traced, like redeveloping an old film reel in color and a better paper stock. The revival of traditional Indian clothing (saris, kalidars and lenghas) by Sabyasachi is a paradigm of this process of historical telescoping.

Sabyasachi’s use of nostalgia in his design aesthetics is almost like a crusade against mass-fashion clothing. A rebellion against the idea of constant progress, against temporal irreversibility. He makes us remember our past romantically when everyone was just a little more authentic a little more real. He has made our past, our traditions, our heritage a cultural style, a trend that has now attained a ubiquitous popularity and an aura of enduring cool. He has used Indianess as a currency around the world.

In an interview Sabyasachi was asked this question:Your clothes seem to appeal to the young girls as well as their mothers and grandmothers. What is it about your clothes that make for such a wide
 audience?

Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s response - It is a very simple thing: A sense of timelessness and non-pretentious pure good Indian clothes. Also there is a very justified co-relation between price and product – which is the reason why the business is scaling so much. In short we try to cut the fat of fashion. Its fine to satisfy your frills and fancies, but you will come back to your daal-chawal and Sabyasachi at the end of the day.


His response says it all, I need not add anymore!


Some brands have consumers; Sabyasachi Mukherjee tends to have fans.

The only barrier we face is the limit of our imagination and Sayasachi’s creativity and imagination is limitless.

Can you feel the “Sabyasachi Allure”?

It is a fact that Sabyasachi is so popular because he is a design genius. But I think Sabyasachi’s magic has got much more to do with just his expert creative delivery and design aesthetics.

So what is it that makes the Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s creations so irresistibly appealing?
Sabyasachi has almost attained a symbolic value in a very short time. An important factor in this is the way Sabyasachi has created an unique perception of exclusivity. Normally luxury brands strive to create a perception of uniqueness for their customers by creating unattainable price, limited geographic availability, barriers to possession, or even limited supply.  Sabyasachi astonishingly has driven his brand to a high end luxury pedestal without sticking to the general trends of brand exclusiveness. His clothes are readily available worldwide, he  does not charge an arm and leg for everything: there is something to suit everyone’s pocket – unlike other national and international designers.

His brand had transcended beyond a product and has now become a part of a popular culture attaining an iconic status. Sabyasachi has embedded this status in our consciousness, I will not be surprised if at some point in the future Sabyasachi’s style almost becomes a verb and makes in into the dictionary like Google! Reaching a status like this takes something very special, the brand has to be instantly recognisable just like Sabyasachi’s and more importantly it has to have an emotional link with his customers. Sabyasachi has effortlessly forged a lasting link with his consumers and that is why the brand comes to represent far more than just a product.

The word ‘brand’ derives from the Old Norse word ‘brandr’ meaning ‘to burn’, referring to the practice of burning a mark or brand onto products. It is this indelible mark that Sabyasachi has made in our minds that makes us prefer Sabyasachi.

It is the intellectual method of madness of Sabyasachi’s creative energy that makes him so appealing. Sabyasachi Mukherjee is a true legend, an inspiration an image maker who knows how to delight his fans. Historical references, techniques and fabrics are intrinsic to his approach to design, it is quite ironic how he takes us back in time though his work has consistently proven to be ahead of time. Sabyasachi creations are unconventional and alluring.

I feel the “Sabyasachi Allure”and am well mesmerised, are you?

Sabya's workshop in Kolkata and a brief interview

Craftsmen working their magic up!

Last week I came across a Printed article in Marie Claire India June 2011 issue, which had a detailed interview with Sabyasachi Mukherjee and some great pictures of his studio and workshop in Topsia, Kolkata. There were 50 questions and answers in it, I am not going to write about all of them but will share some of the material and the photos in this post.


What memories of fashion do you have from when you were growing up?
Sabyasachi : I think my fashion moments were defined by Zeenat Aman wearing skimpy clothes and gyrating to ‘laila o laila’ and ‘aap jaisa koi’ in Kurbani.

Natural dyes which brings out the beautiful colours in Sabyasachi outfit!

So what was in your case the calling to be a fashion designer?
Sabyasachi : I never knew I wanted to be a fashion designer. I liked sketching. There was an interview of Rohit Khosla that I saw on TV. I climbed the wall with my friends and gate crashed Rohit Khosla fashion show in Saturday Club (Kolkata) in 1992. I saw his show and decided I wanted women to wear pretty clothes and walk up and down that stage.

Even the toilet has the Sabyasachi touch!

You have a very soft spoken, well mannered nature. In fact we hardly hear any controversial statements from you that other biggies are almost expected to make in the industry. How do you stay away from the controversies?
Sabyasachi : I think I am too boring for controversies to quote me. And also I never used PR for personal reasons. The press that the business gathered has been purely based on the product. And I am happy because the kind of person that I am, it would be really tiring if I constantly had to sell myself to sell my clothes.

Your clothes have wisdom about themselves. They are seldom what they appear to be. The fabrics have been progressed and been through many phases to have that history in them. Is that the definition of beauty?

The printing area!

Sabyasachi  : My design philosophy stands for personalized imperfection of the human hand. When I look at a woman who is too beautiful she is almost mechanized to me. So I like some flaws and freckles here and there to add to the beauty of the woman. Similarly, I like textiles and embroidery to have a little bit of character and age in them. I think men and women really start looking beautiful after 40. When you look into their eyes, you see the world through them. Certain amount of gentleness that comes through. The aggression of youth – the urgency of trying to do things is not there. You settle down and you actually get to see the person in full glory because he’s been addressing himself from within. And that kind of inner beauty for me is very appealing. That is why when I look at clothing, I see clothing that has been gone through a period, an age, a bygone era. I have always been very influenced by this poem which says ‘What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.’ and that defines more than life for us. We are constantly running. Everything is perfect and digitized. We shy away from imperfection and we hardly get any time to reflect. My clothing wants you to do that – know what the past of India was, what the textile is, where it came from, how it was manufactured…. When the product is not interactive for you to ask questions from within, I think it is a failed product.

This is a unique room where all the old fabrics are kept - Inspiring!

Your clothes seem to appeal to the young girls as well as their mothers and grandmothers. What is it about your clothes that make for such a wide audience?
Sabyasachi  : It is a very simple thing: A sense of timelessness and non pretentious pure good Indian clothes. Also there is a very justified co-relation between price and product – which is the reason why the business is scaling so much. In short we try to cut the fat of fashion. Its fine to satisfy your frills and fancies, but you will come back to your daal-chawal and Sabyasachi at the end of the day.

Would you be happier if one day fashion is glamorous in itself and Bollywood is not required for publicizing it?

Even the threads used in Sabyasachi garments are dyed on premises!

Sabyasachi  : No, I think we should work with Bollywood and fashion together. No matter what fashion does in India, and I am talking from an idealistic point of view. India is a very emotional country led by sounds, sites and smells. Can you imagine what Bollywood would be if there was no running around the trees and dance and songs? Bollywood binds us like nobody else can and is much more powerful than politicians or even religion at times. When you already have an instrument to create so much of awareness in a country – I think designers should take view and learn to take benefit. When I did Raavan or Guzaarish, I did it with a single minded intention to promote Indian textiles. When people who would usually not venture out in chiffon or net saris look at Vidya in south cottons, they want to try that too. Because of that my weavers are getting tremendous amount of work.

Fashion like other industries, is looking at sustainability of resources and maintaining an ecological balance. You had started the Save a Sari initiative. Would you elaborate on its role in the market?
Sabyasachi  : I had gone with a friend of mine to one of the weavers in Andhra and I just realized that the entire family lived off the cotton sari that they made. The sari retailed for 1200/- and  even if the weaver made 50% of that, which meant a family of 5 people surviving for a whole week on only 600 rupees? The defining moment came when I was watching Spiderman and heard the dialogue ‘with great powers come great responsibilities’. So I decided to lend my name to the woven saris under ‘Save a Sari’ campaign. The method was quite simple. We produced the sari within the weaver’s cost without inflation. Added the 10% mark up for sales. So you got a sari from Sabyasachi at a cost less than what you would find at a cotton sari shop. Must have sold about 3000 saris in the last 6 months and that was a great benefit for the single weaver. Now we want to do this with 10 weavers from different clusters. This is part of my Corporate Social Responsibility now. The weavers get the entire cost of the sari without the middleman.

What would you like to be your greatest achievement as a fashion designer?
Sabyasachi  : The fact that I brought Indian textiles back to India. To connect Indian people with Indian textiles and to make them feel proud of their heritage is something I would like to achieve.

Credits : These pictures and interview has been sourced from another blog called lovestruckcow.

Will the sari die in India as the Kimono already has inJapan?No,SABYASACHI makes sure it does not!

I am sure in the past if given a choice between wearing a saree or a dress for a social gathering, many would have opted for the latter. However, there has been a dramatic shift in the mind-set in the recent years and SABYASACHI has played a crucial role in giving the timeless Indian sari a very stylish mainstream fashion option, a new lease of life!

He has always said when it comes to clothes our body tells us what’s in – not fashion magazines and not current trends. Undoubtedly he has single handedly made the humble sari very trendy.

He celebrates the splendour of the magical six yards that heralds one’s arrival and prolongs their departure. His creations are an embodiment of less is more and simplicity. No matter how you wear a SABYASACHI sarei it will make you feel red hot!

Tradition + Trendy + Chic + Fashionable + Understated = SABYASACHI


When it comes to being truly stylish, there really are no hard and fast rules. Whether you are a trendy savy teenager, a thirty something career girl or a fabulous fifty something SABYASACHI offers something for all. He has proven that saris are a key component in any female’s wardrobe that works brilliantly.

When gerogets and shiffons dominated the market; when crystals and shimmer were running riots and gritty dresses and flowing gowns seem like the only way to go, Sabyasachi confidently made his models walk around in gorgeous sarees made from not so popular fabrics like kota, khaddis, khaddar etc. Bold and beautiful sarees with tons of texturing and detailing, splendid embellishments, vibrant diverse color palette he creates sober styles and touches of whimsy - a complete sartorial sanctuary.


Sabyasachi has delightfully brought back to life the magical 9 yards as if it never got out of fashion. Has has shown that one can adapt a sari in any which way irrespective of the size and shape of their body. It is his labour of love which has made the Sari attain an ubiqutious popularity and an aura of enduring cool.


Now only if Japan had a version of Sabyasachi Mukherjee to save their Kimono!


I bet they would love that :)

SABYASACHI, Fashion and Business ….. a rare match made in heaven

I can’t help but wonder how the brand SABYASACHI has grown so quickly and become synonymous with wedding clothes and Indian party wear. The Kolkata based blue eyed boy must have a robust commercial mind to grow his venture from a mere 20,000 rupees loan into a staggering empire worth 52 crore rupees employing over 700 people in a relatively short period of time. Being a fashion enthusiast and a professional marketer I am amazed by his strategic global growth and an elite fan base.

So why is Sabyasachi Mukherjee so successful?
Sabyasachi offers rustic charm and high end design - a curious combination of old and new. He uses nostalgia that also has an of the moment quality and his creations retain relevance long after the so called fashion trends and seasonal

parameters have faded – they are timeless pieces. They are a perfect example of a particular kind of vintage design -  progressive retro which is to say it might look a home and hearth but under the skin it is bang up to date.

I think one reason why Sabyasachi has an appeal is because like him his clothes are made for the masses. They stand out for the right reason, they are unique but still feel familiar; more than anything else I thing they are very wearable.

What I mean by that is – at times when consumers see models wearing designer clothes on the ramp they know that will never be able to get away with the deep necklines, brash oversized embellishments, body hugging silhouettes .etc. all these elements creates a sense of an unnatural and unapproachable idea of what fashion is.

Sabyasachi on the contrary gives his consumer what is close to them, what they know, what they are familiar with. He offers them the chance to look great without having to go out of their comfort zone. He derives his design inspirations from the rich traditions and culture in India. His passion and love for India and its offerings is evident in his work. This is what makes his creations so appealing, in one way or the other he connects with his consumer at a personal level through a common medium – The Indianess in all Indians! He understands that people pay for certain sensibilities and offers us a true Indian aesthetic that has an appeal.

What is even more astonishing is how accurate is Sabyasachi’s evaluation of what India needs in terms of affordable fashion. It is this commercial acumen and a fantastic creative mind that makes him stand out from his counterparts. When most designers looked for inspiration from the west he stuck with India, when they worked on promoting their collection in UK, USA and the wider world , Sabyasachi expanded organically and it is this originality which got him international recognition too!

I came across this statement made by Sabyasachi - 'If the designs are driven by commercial viability then they are bound to be lost in oblivion. I know it is a matter of survival for most of us but this is the only solution to sustain creativity. The knowledge that international media and fashionists have about India is very limited; so it is of prime importance that we focus on our textiles, techniques and fabrics and educate the world about how rich the handloom industry in India is.' His passion and love for India is evident from all the work he has done in reviving the Indian Handloom Industry and giving a livelihood to hundreds of skilled craftsmen. Save the Saree campaign is one of the many examples.

It is quite clear that Sabyasachi is brewing a fashion storm and has become the designer to turn to when you are in sartorial crisis. Two is a coincidence , but three is a trend – please step forward Vidya Balan, Rani Mukherjee and Aishwaria Rai!

Do you want to join them?

What does the brand SABYASACHI stand for?

I am not going to write endless paragraphs about who Sabyasachi Mukherjee is , his background , his achievements etc. A lot has been written and shared and all the people who need to know about him do know quite a lot.

Instead I am going to talk about what I think his brand means and stands for, his impact in changing the views of the masses when it comes to traditional ethnic wear.

In Sabyasachi’s own words he describes his creations as - International styling with an Indian soul. This summarises the ethos of what he believes in beautifully.

The brand represents traditional heritage mixed with creativity and a little bit of eccentricity. It has been loved for its innovation, creativity and a certain subversiveness. The brand is a great example of design effectiveness. Not only does it promote Indian textiles and craftsmanship like no one else, but it has also had a massive impact in changing the urban fashion landscape in India for Ethnic wear.

There’s a distinctly Indian/Bengali sensibility. Sabyasachi has a charm , wit and a craftsmanship which finds a timeless audience. Focus on heritage and provenance has become the brand’s key marketing tool and will continue to play a key part in its future growth. It is unique and a fantastic example of how dependence on pageantry and nostalgia can deliver fantastic results.

SABYASACHI is for the masses, a powerful image maker who makes fantasy comes true. SABYASACHI creates timeless clothes and accessories that are wearable yet fashionable, traditional but chic, simple but regal, embellished but understated, couture but real, designer but affordable. SABYASACHI not only makes women more beautiful, but also reassures them and makes them look confident. He does know the art of balancing comfort, practicality, and desirability all in one.

SABYASACHI has given the masses an opportunity to look like their favourite celebrities without feeling uncomfortable. He has been successful in making us feel comfortable in our own skin; he has helped us in embracing who we are and what we stand for. He is the answer to our prayers who has saved the saree, our heritage and us!

He has proven that he is proud to be an Indian and the brand –SABYASACHI – undoubtedly is and will continue to be one of the most cherished and valued Indian Brands in the global fashion scene. Time and time again it has been seen that his style has an incredibly strong voice for change. His brand is all about perfection and simplicity.
SABYASACHI  by Sabyasachi Mukherjee offers it all. He shows us how to take a step back to move a hundered steps forward.