NIFT graduate Sahil Kochhar is more than just eye candy; this designer who assisted Rohit Bal is ready to fly solo…
By Asmita Aggarwal
He has walked the ramp for greats like Rohit Bal, Abraham & Thakore, Tarun Tahiliani and his good friend Rajesh Pratap Singh, but the boy, who studied fashion design from NIFT Gandhinagar wasnt happy being just a head turner, so he launched his label last year.
Sahil Kochhar may be doing his first ever show under his own label at WIFW 2014, but he is no greenhorn in fashion. He worked with the master himself, Rohit Bal for almost seven years, where he honed his skills in the art of creating pieces of wonder. Working with Rohit was like going to the best fashion school. The greatest lesson he taught me was to stay calm in tough situations. So now when I am ready to showcase my first ever line, I am able to keep my focus intact, he smiles.
Studying in NIFT exposed Sahil to teachers from NID, which gave him perspective, considering it has one of the best faculties in India. We were three friends from childhood, who right from school made our own shirts and trousers. By sheer providence all three of us today are into fashion (one is into exports; the other has his own menswear label). Thats how far I have been interested in clothes. NID teachers who used to come to NIFT as guest faculty sharpened our aesthetics. Thats how I met Rohit, when my faculty member had his number, I called him, he liked my work, and we were on in 2006, he declares.
Autumn-winter for Sahil will be based on the ancient art of Sholapith from West Bengal (Bardhaman district), where they create flowers, headgear for Gods and Goddesses and decorative items from a plant, Shola (it is from the bean family). I visited the Crafts Museum, near Pragati Madian and was awed by the science used; how it is hand crafted and this served as a heady inspiration. So you will see germinal surfaces on my garments with a 3D effect based on this art in vivid colours of tangerine to Bordeaux, he says.
Offering only experimental women, who like a bit if jazz in their clothing, Sahil will show trenches with exaggerated collars, layered and structured dresses to three pieces (jacket, dress and trousers) for a discerning few. But I need to work on the fact that I must keep the costing appropriate and not let lofty ideas take me on to Wonderland in a hurry to make an impact on the ramp, he smiles.