Varun Bahl believes couture must appeal to a woman who is aware, responsible, and wants to be original in thought and choice of occasion clothing. Though his love for flowers remains constant, just like his passion for monochromes.
By Asmita Aggarwal
Varun Bahl is often transported back to the serene valleys of Kashmir, a place where the sights and smells are still alive in his subconscious mind, all he must do is close his eyes. His family migrated from this place of pristine beauty to the Capital, and set up restaurant businesses, but school holidays were always spent in the Valley, with cousins and his grandfather, in a large Punjabi family.
Maybe that is what you can attribute his love for nature too—this heaven on earth destination, summers spent blissfully in Pahalgam, the Lidder river running through the Betaab valley, Amarnath yatris trekking hoping to find that protection of spirituality when everything else fails. What is most interesting about Varuns journey is his entrepreneurial spirit, inherent in his DNA. Whether it is his wedding décor company, foraying into pret, or even his treatment of haute couture, each genre he has mastered, and added his individuality to it.
ICW has always held a special place in his heart, because of the sheer joy it brings with it, the hand work, expensive laborious techniques, even though the lines have blurred with athleisure creeping in and easy-to-wear becoming the flagbearer. For him, even a simple black trouser suit would constitute as couture of course, with engaging details. Though he is quick to point out, even though Indian craftsmanship is superlative, unless we get a stamp of acknowledgement from the West, we never think we are good enough.
I dont think we can bracket any customer based on his choices—some prefer minimalism, while others are maximalists by nature. It is more of a subtle form of self-expression, he confirms.
The result is always making a piece that delights every time you take it out of our closet no matter how many years have passed by, you hang on to it. Officially he began his journey in 2004, even though the first line he launched was in 2001, after Modern School and NIFT. His love affair with nature is endless, the flavours of his hometown, the Champas, and lilies, Dal Lake, the serenity, the universe rewards you with when you are one with the energy of the planet, is what Varun finds most appealing in intricate flower inlays, and ode to its beauty.
This is also one of the reasons why Varun prefers to recycle and upcyclewhether it was denim and his ubiquitous lehengas or waste fabrics converted into something new—this is the future, aesthetically repurposing he exclaims. He attributes this to a shift in a young brides mindset, she is more responsible, aware, educated, working women just like his niece, who is studying law, but is in the forefront of the Green Planet movement. Cutting something out of an old piece and building on that, whether it is adding a new touch of resham or beads, reimagining what he presented years ago in a new light, has been his calling.
Considering the fact, he was one of the first ones to launch a monochromatic couture line, in an often-seen sea of reds, Varun believes old is the new language. Sunshine yellows, pastels, to a bit of reds, flowers always manage to work their charm on him effortlessly. The idea of the Inner bloom appeals to him, and that is represented in his ICW 2023 line, a sense of happiness, a healthier way of living.
He believes clothes have the power to infuse confidence when you wear something new, your body language alters. It is the depth of making a piece that excites me, and now a lehenga can be worn as a skirt with almost anything — tee, white shirt, bralet, cape, the options are endless, he explains. His women are wrapped in flowers, beautiful headgear, breaking rules, having fun along the way, but the greatest satisfaction comes from within. Sometimes patterns are repeated, some things may seem disjointed, concepts taken forward with fearlessness, he says. Just like him playing in his grandfathers cottage in Kashmir, where butterflies took flight and flowers bloomed as summer set in.
TV actor Ashim Gulati began the ICW show in black with a lithe ballerina swinging in his arms, and then came a bouquet of flowers- Varun romanced asymmetry, tone-on-tone black cord sets for men with a slouchy feel, with a subtle tint of shine. Once again, this year, Varun showed us how to do happy monochromes, without forgetting elements of athleticism, as he pursued tones of crimson and faux feathers.
Capes, dhoti-shaped saris, velvet suits for men, generous peppering of pearls, as well as the new moustached man bringing in masochism, was an engaging format, as jewelled Mohawks, and septum rings added edginess. And in his usual classic style, Varun even had the flooring monogrammed with his initials and a sewing machine to pay homage to the one who creates the magic, just like his showstopper Bhumi Pednekar.