Fame rests lightly but with certainty on Rohit Bal,
whom Time magazine in its recent Special Report on
India (March 25, 1996) profiled as 'India's Master
of fabric and fantasy.' The regard he commands among
the top echelons of Indian fashion is endorsed by
a discerning, high profile clientele, that includes
some of India's biggest names in the media, film,
fashion and corporate world.
His affair with the media has been long-standing and
passionate. Never, it seems, has one man been the
focus of the attentions of so many. Reams of adulatory
print continue to roll off the presses as he unveils
one collection after another, each one more fantastic
than the last.
Intensely concerned with design as an art form, he
draws upon history, fantasy and folklore to create
his masterpieces, which retail for up to 15,000 USD.
These are gone before you know it, snapped up by the
discerning and needless to say, the wealthy. So completely
does he seem to have understood the psyche of the
target consumer, that fashion pundits credit him with
setting the trend for every season. His address to
the fashion scene is intelligent and studied, yet
imaginative and inspired.
Graduating from New Delhi's St. Stephen's College
with a first class (Hons.) degree in History, the
compulsive designer worked for a few years with his
brother's export company. In 1990 he created his first
line, traditional designer wear for men and the rest,
indeed, is history.
The 34-year-old designer's sense of aesthetics is
finely honed, and each of his creations is handcrafted
to perfection, with meticulous attention to detail.
He has access to the best the industry has to offer
in terms of materials and workmanship. From villages
where local craftsmen weave dreams with magic fingers,
to factories, workshops and outlets where retailers
jostle for survival, to the opulent grandeur of glitzy
boutiques and malls at the best addresses in the big
cities of high fashion, Rohit Bal can lead one to
the doors of discovery, and he holds the key.
  |
![](/images/blank_spacer.gif"){kind=spacer}