March 18, 2016 Asmita Aggarwal

Playful Geometry

Jaipur-based Rohit Kamra has retained the appeal of classics, sprinkling edginess, making menswear a blend of sensory delights and robust power.

By Asmita Aggarwal

It takes adversity to sometimes make tough decisions and serendipity makes you fly to new horizons. This is just what happened with Jaipur-based designer Rohit Kamra.

With his family business (a department store) shutting down incurring huge losses, Rohit took the reins of running the family in his own hands, and began by making uniforms for five-star hotels. “I am not educated or trained in fashion, but I feel it was in my DNA. I started from scratch to get the boat sailing,” he confesses.

The desire to always dabble in fashion was inherent, so Rohit visited fashion weeks and he slowly began to understand how the colour story defines each piece, how it progresses, but what remains primary is practicality.  “I didn’t clear the NIFT exam because I didn’t know how to sketch. Now my assistants take care of that part for me. I follow a reverse process where I take my vision to the master tailor and he translates it. I found my way out,” he laughs.

Launching his menswear line in 2005, it began as an experiment on himself. When he got appreciated, he started selling what he actually wore. “I did attempt a women’s wear line, but discovered that my heart was not in it. Menswear comes easily to me, dressing women, I find a bit tough,” he smiles.

Despite the colour spectrum going crazy for men now, Rohit says his challenge remains to reinterpret classics. For AIFW 2016 he has gone back to the roots, with greys, blacks and navy, but has added edginess to them. Usually Rohit does very masculine and powerful clothes, but this time the big, balloon-y breeches have been redefined and given a slim avatar, which can fit anyone who isn’t tall or well-built.

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“That’s just what I did with the Jodhpur bandhgalas also, which sometimes makes a young man, age a bit. So we added a few details to make them look invigorating,” he says.

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His forte remains bespoke fabrics which he sources from Europe and Italy, so much so that by now he has a burgeoning collection that he can dip into, anytime. “This time I’ve used cashmere, linens, silk-linens and silk-wool besides flannel,” he says.

If you ask him what’s lacking in menswear, Rohit will tell you in a split second that it needs a push, and there should be a fashion week fully devoted to this genre. “However, FDCI has made a great start, and the only way is forward from here,” he admits.

Looking back at life, Rohit has no regrets except the fact that he could have marketed or launched his label a bit better or even moved to a bigger city like Mumbai or Delhi. “But who knew that fashion would be my calling! I studied commerce in Chandigarh. Now I choose to go with the flow,” he concludes.

Click here to watch #RohitKamra at #AIFWAW16 #MenswearShow

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