‘He was a pathbreaker for Indian fashion’

BENGALURU: Apart from being a pioneer in what he did with fashion, Satya Paul was a relaxed, chilled-out, fun and peace-loving person. I first met him in the 1990s, when I moved to Bangalore. He had come here to do a show, and we had dinner afterwards. It was a great interaction. I was also just starting out at that point. I distinctly remember him being a cheerful, energetic and charismatic person. 

Satya Paul was a visionary when it came to his work. Of course, there were a few designers who were also up and coming then, but he was the first to make a brand of his name. He also took something as traditional as a sari and reinvented it with different types of prints and jackets that can be worn with it. Being one of the first to do this made him stand out from the crowd.

He played with a lot of colours and experimental prints, pop colours on chiffon, and crepe and satin silk saris, which are not the traditional saris. He made this humble piece of garment a glamorous and sexy outfit, something that the cocktail circuit would want to wear. People started looking at the sari as a cool and trendy garment. This resulted in the middle class being less intimidated to own designer wear, which always had an elite status to it.

Satya Paul’s flagship stores paved the way for boutiques, which designed traditional garments like the sari. This was a revolution for the pre-liberalisation era’s fashion scene. We can rightfully call him the ‘father of the contemporary sari.’Besides a modern take on the sari, he also worked to give Indian art and handloom a spot on a global platform. He took the Indian handloom to European and American markets and again, was one of the first to do so.

He was quite the pathbreaker for his brand as well for the Indian fashion industry. Thanks to him, Indian craft and artwork got encouragement at a time when not many were appreciative of it. Satya Paul made it a trendy label.  He was also one of the first designers from India to make trendy scarves, cuff links and ties. And this at a time when men’s fashion was highly neglected. The scarves and ties came from his forte of playing around with prints on silk. It was also one of the first designer ties I ever owned. That white tie with black and pink print has always held an emotional value for me.

Manoviraj Khosla Fashion designer

(As told to Monika Monalisa)