He’s the pride of Bengal. His creativity extraordinaire has got him appreciation worldwide and has stars like Rani Mukherjee patronising him. Ace couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee is a big name in fashion today. Meet Sabyasachi’s teacher at NIFT, Anjali Sharma, who by the way resides in Bangalore and wishes to keep it discreet.
Anjali, a NIFT alumni herself, studied at the Delhi wing and passed out in 1989-91, alongside batchmates JJ Valaya, Ashish Soni and Ranna Gill. Anjali chose to pass on her fashion knowledge to aspiring design students at NIFT, instead of taking to the needle and thread at first.
Talking about NIFT in her days, Anjali says, “NIFT then was exclusive, minimal and had the best input. During our days we had international faculty. Yves Saint Laurent’s entourage came down to teach us! That’s not the scene today, something which has deteriorated the input. Outside input is crucial. I have taught 10 batches. There is a lot of fresh talent today who is well-aware. But again the supply has increased because you have tonnes of NIFT centres. We were just 20. We were the cream.”
At NIFT Anjali taught draping, illustration and Indian costumes. She went on to set up NIFT Kolkata in 1995 and it’s here that she taught designers Sabyasachi and Shantanu Goenka. Anjali reminisces, “Sabyasachi was very grounded, focussed, hardworking and extremely good at my subject, draping. But I didn’t think he would make it so big. Shantanu, on the other hand, was full of drama. He would always include props and stylise his creations. He was very dear to me. I knew he would land up in Paris someday.”
So is it sheer talent or the degree in design that makes one good? “It’s talent for sure. But to polish it you need a degree,” asserts Anjali.
Post marriage, Anjali moved to Bangalore and continues to be part of the guest faculty at the NIFT wing here. She believes that Bangalore is still conservative and primarily IT - oriented. “Bangalore is not at all about high-fashion. And the small segment that digs fashion, goes to Mumbai to shop,” she observes.
This is probably the reason why Anjali retails her brand French Curve out of Mumbai and Chennai only. A woman’s label western in spirit, the name French Curve interestingly refers to a tool used to make necklines for garments and has nothing to do with any “french connection”.
Anjali is doing a trunk show at Collage, displaying her updates to Bangalore’s fashionistas. “My speciality is draping, bespoke tailoring and pattern-making. So, there are tie-up dresses, soft separates, skirts, pants, jackets and Indian sarees. It’s a dressy pret collection,” explains Anjali, who insists on calling herself a garment specialist instead of the “overdone and overused” term fashion designer.
Check out Anjali’s collection at Collage on Wood Street on December 20, 21 and 22 between 11 am and 7.30 pm.
