He detests the words trends and quirky but Kallol Datta is a delight with his fierce views and un-Anarkali approach to fashion
By Asmita Aggarwal
Growing up as a young boy in Dubai, all what Kallol Datta wanted to be was an English newsreader just like his mom on Chanel 33. But it was his love for cuss words which deterred him from becoming one, and with a banker father, he wasnt left with much choice in terms of a career inspiration.
But what did interest him was design, so when the entrance for NIFT (Kolkata) was announced he reached there on the insistence of his mother and cleared it with flying colours. I went there without a pen or pencil had to borrow everything but to tell you the truth NIFT was extremely stifling, a place where I was told to conform, and my views were not taken seriously. Unlike Central Saint Martins UK (he got a degree in womens wear) where free thinking is encouraged, says Kallol.
What he is thankful for is the technical know-how that he attained as a student, whether it was pattern cutting or negotiating an ingenious sleeve or jacket, which he still does till today on his own, Kallol is your unpredictable schismatic. So when people call my clothes morbid or dark, it doesnt affect me at all, at least my ensembles are eliciting an emotional response, he adds.
Not one to mince words, this brutally honest recusant says that he disagrees with the whole, I am dressing a strong, confident woman as he retorts, I dont know what the hell that means. I dont dress a particular kind of person. I have no one in mind really as my clothes are more about a social commentary. Plus, there are no segregations in my mind about age, character or profession, you can be anybody, if you like what I do, you will want a piece of it.
Just as you are getting set to be mesmerised by this gem of Kolkata, Kallol will tell you that his fashion ideology is a bit of rebellion mixed with what he sees around him and absorbs. Thankfully, he is tucked away in Kolkata far removed from Delhis party circuit, which gives him his panacea-anonymity. Though another word he detests is trends, which evokes an image in his mind of two cartoons in suits sitting in a corporate office deciding on what will be in a womans wardrobe this autumn-winter and how to get her to spend money.
So with no trend forecasting Kallol is a free man, he does what his mood dictates, but at least he is truthful to his label. I dont show 3 D on the catwalk and Anarkalis on the rack, he laughs. Thats one of the reasons why he lived like a university student three years after he launched his label in 2008 (with his mothers birth year along with his name Kallol 1955). People thought Kallol will soon end his gimmicks and give us something we can actually sell. Soon they realised I wasnt going to change, so they came around, he admits.
Copying is another big problem for Datta, and he doesnt think imitation is the highest form of flattery! If people put prints of beer bottles, scissors and a plane and call it quirky, I think its ridiculous. What quirky about it? I think prints have a story to tell and that should be the focus, he adds.
His autumn-winter story is all about how love and hate can co-exist beautifully together, and this metaphysical thought has been expressed through shapes and prints arranged in a certain form. 2013 was a year where I was consumed by self-angst and this kind of gets reflected in my line in a palette dominated by blacks, greys and sepia tones. But I must add that I live in a bubble of my own, locked in my studio so my approach to things can get myopic at times, my biggest weakness, which is a tough call in fashion, he concludes.
