Rohit Bal
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Legacy
SHOBHAA DE’ recalls
SHOBHAA DE, Nov 10, 2024: The Times of India
Rohit Bal arrived dancing uninhibitedly in a blaze of exuberant colour, injecting flamboyance, gender fluidity and style into a fatigued world of fashion enthusiasts scrambling for funds to keep going. He was definitely the next big thing, with his daring and gumption to go against the tide and stick to an original vision for his label. A vision he adhered to till the end. Rohit’s emotional and artistic commitment to his roots in Kashmir became his well-recognised trademark — the lotuses, for example, which became the leitmotif for every collection, including his last one showcased a fortnight before he died. Bal was always the belle of his own ball. When he hosted a show, he didn’t need front-row celebrities to legitimise his collection. Affectionately dubbed ‘Gudda’ (male doll), he was the drama everyone came to watch and cheer. There’s a reason for this — Bal saw design as art. India was his muse. The country’s opulent craft traditions going back centuries inspired him. To own a Rohit Bal creation was to own a piece of India. This is what separated Bal from many of his contemporaries who opted for a shallow, showbiz skin show trying to pass it off as ‘haute couture’. There was nothing ‘haute’ about collections in which tinsel met tacky, and nobody noticed or cared! Starlets and bralettes came to define Indian fashion. By now, corporate ‘suits’ had moved in and snapped up successful labels. Suits who only understood cash registers and couldn’t pronounce haute couture dictated the look for collections they were sure would sell in mandis across India even if those were cheap knock-offs of the designers’ originals. Fashion shows became elaborately staged mega events, with a mandatory, overrated, overpriced Bollywood star as the showstopper.
By now, we should have found our feet in the highly fickle and brutally competitive arena of international fashion. But have we? Who knows any of our designers outside of India? It is mainly our richie rich NRIs who host international fashion events which attract nostalgic desis. The buzz we smugly settle for is created when a Hollywood star or pop singer wears an Indian designer on the red carpet. We are thrilled with this pat on the back from the West. But, so far, none of this has translated into the creation of a commercially successful global fashion brand from India. The future of fashion remains as flimsy and fragile as the tulle lehenga that costs lakhs but won’t survive a season.
When Bal passed away, there was an avalanche of social media coverage mourning his untimely death. “He fashioned India’s style,’’ was the topical and apt send-off to Gudda on Amul hoardings. Poignant and pure in his deep love for Indian heritage, his impeccable eye helped us to rediscover and cherish our own aesthetics, our exceptional cultural sensibilities. Thank you Gudda, for reminding us of our lost legacy. The delicate Kashmiri lotus, immortalised by Kashmir’s beloved son, will bloom on.
