Bibhu Mohapatra open to designing for Bollywood films

MUMBAI, Apr 23: He may have styled some of the most influential women in America including former US first lady Michelle Obama, and New York-based Indian fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra says he is keen to design for Bollywood films if the right project comes through.
The India-born designer feels his sensibilities can match with that of filmmaker Karan Johar but regrets not designing for films of Yash Chopra.
“I would love to design for Bollywood films if the right proposal came. I am open for it. I think Karan Johar is amazing and one of my all time favourite was Yash Chopra. That would have been a major dream come true if I had worked with him in one of his films,” Bibhu said.
“He made the looks of many of today’s leading actress, from Rekha, Sridevi to Anushka (Sharma) and Katrina (Kaif). He had a vision and saw things more beautifully than most of us. We have many other directors who I would love to work with.”
Bibhu has designed for Hollywood stars like Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey Gwyneth Paltrow and Bollywood celebrities including Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor Khan among others.
Bibhu says the fact that international personalities are drawn to wear Indian fabrics is because of the vibrancy of its culture, but does feel people in west are more willing to experiment.
“We are a vibrant nation and culture. Everyone wants to be a part of it. Be it Michelle Obama or the Duchess of Cambridge, they know the quality, craft which comes out of this country is unparallelled and unique.
“But yes, people in the west are more open to experiment. There are some people in India who also are open to experimentation. It comes from within but it is also a cultural thing. The more you are exposed to things, the more you are open to new ideas.”
Bibhu is now out with his new jewellery collection for Forevermark. It is the extension of the Artemis collection which was launched last year.
The collection plays with three key motifs, the sun, moon and stars, as seen in earrings, rings, bracelets, pendants and brooches.
“It’s all about how jewelleries have the power to tell stories of generations. They may be handed from generation to generation, people may come and go but their stories get embedded in them. When my mother showed me some of our family jewelleries, I felt I had met all the amazing ladies in the family.”
Bibhu took six months to design the core collection and the entire collection was finished in about eighth to nine months. (AGENCIES)