Designer Kunal Rawal on his label, and fashion for Bollywood ‘characters’

It’s only been five years since he made his debut at 21 at Mumbai’s Lakme Fashion Week, but by the way he’s going, Indian designer Kunal Rawal might as well be one of the country’s busiest designers today. And it’s not just because he specialises in menswear.

Rawal, who makes his UAE debut today at the one-day fashion and lifestyle exhibition Sa Vogue in Dubai, says its his blend of Indian and Western silhouettes (“as clichéd as it may sound”) that’s really taken him and his label forward.

“I feel that this generation of Indians are very patriotic and at the same time, they are very aware of global trends,” he says. “And due to practicality, we don’t get to wear traditional Indian clothes as much as we like. So that’s where the blend of Western looks with very Indian elements really work.”

Besides taking care of his own label, designing capsule collections for highstreet brands and collaborations with everyone from motoring and lifestyle brands to theme parks, this Mumbai-based designer has also made his name as an in-demand Bollywood designer. He’s created looks for actor Abhay Deol in Aisha, Akshay Kumar in Desi Boys, Shahid Kapoor in Teri Meri Kahani and John Abraham in the recently-released Shootout at Wadala.

Rawal’s upcoming projects include designing for Kumar and co-star Imran Khan in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai 2, Ranbir Kapoor in Besharam, Shahid Kapoor in Rambo Rajkumar and Anil Kapoor in India’s version of the hit TV series 24.

Designing for Bollywood films today is very different from about ten years ago, he says.

“People used to cringe at Bollywood fashion. But that has drastically changed. We now have a mixture of commercial and aesthetic cinema and I feel things are changing really fast,” says Rawal, who has also designed for Tamil and Telugu films in south India. In the past fans would dress like a Bollywood star. For instance, you could immediately tell who a Salman Khan fan was by the way he dressed. But these days, fans dress up as the characters. And that’s because film productions have started to see the importance of fashion and the role it plays in the development of the character.”

Despite the demand, designing for his own label will be his first love, says Rawal, who recently showcased his collection at Lakme Fashion Week after a two-year break.

“It’s fun tweaking your sensibilities for cinema and experimenting with what the chatracters and the mood of the film demands. But when you’re working on your own label, you are king of your world,” he says. “And you can go crazy doing what you want to do.”

The London College of Fashion graduate says he will stick to menswear for now.

“Men are clear about what they want, even when they are experimenting,” he says. “I get annoyed when people say menswear is simpler. Yes, the parameters are tighter and I think the styling options are narrower. But that’s what makes it a lot more fun.”

Box

Kunal Rawal will showcase his collection today at Sa Vogue fashion and lifestyle exhibition at the Ritz Carlton, DIFC. Entry is free and will be open from 11am to 9pm. For more, go to facebook.com/pages/sa-vogue or call 050-5974372.