JOIN USDesign and art are in my blood they are part of my DNA. I don’t think I could ever really see myself in a normal office job,” says Fabian Lintott, lead designer at Hidesign.
On an official trip to India at present, Lintott who heads the design team in London speaks to Metrolife about his love for designing, rise in men’s fashion in India and his appetite for Indian cuisine.
“When I was young, I was always passionate about art. My parents would take me to art galleries with them and I would spend a lot of my time drawing. Even in school, art was my favourite subject and I would make elaborate copper sculptures that looked like musical instruments,” he laughs and the glint in his eyes reflects the satisfaction of having created all the popular accessories that men use across the globe. Designing for men has always been natural for Lintott who says that, “Being a man helps but I am also a designer who takes great pleasure in the details. I like to add little details to my bags that spark an interest, something that might create a conversation. The challenge comes when creating new products while using subtle details to make it look different from your last collection.” The confession comes candidly as Metrolife asks his about the fashion sensibility of men in India.
Lintott re-settles himself and says “Men in general like to remain on the safe side when buying accessories. Although, this is a stand point which is being challenged. I think we, as a gender, are slowly waking up to colour. If you check out the latest catwalks there is certainly a lot more colour experimentation going on. There are exciting times ahead for menswear and accessories,” he says adding that “An actor from Indian film industry, whose style I appreciate is Hrithik Roshan.” Ten on ten for that answer!
Recollecting the time when he visited India for the first time, Lintott doesn’t shy away from mentioning that he was very intrigued since he “had heard about the hectic roads, the amazing sights and the lovely people but never witnessed it before”.
However, what struck him the most was that, “Although we landed around 3 am in the morning, there were so many people not just at the airport but everywhere! Three am at home is always quiet, you very rarely see anyone around,” he says still looking surprised at the over-populated country. But what puts him in awe is “the energy, the progress, the excitement that you feel driving around India. It has that feeling that things are changing and changing fast, which I love.”
The designer sounds hopeful of the growth of men’s fashion industry. “It is an up and coming market in India and will continue to grow and improve. It will be interesting to watch as the Internet has certainly changed the way we shop in the UK and it will certainly create waves in your market as it gets bigger.”And will he like to shift base to India?
“Interesting question,” he says but negates the possibility since he lives in a close-knit family.
“It’s important for children to have inputs from their grandparents,” he says in reference to his two-and-a-half year old son Rufus whom he expects to grow up and join him and his wife in exploring India. “I love Indian food,” he chips in considering himself lucky to be able to enjoy spices. “Indian food suits me very well, but I seem to put on weight whenever I am here,” he guffaws.