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Design is about transporting someone into a parallel world, says Masaba

Apr 23, 2023 01:24 AM IST

Fashion designer and actor Masaba Gupta discussed her creative process and signature style at the Chandigarh Design Festival, emphasizing the importance of comfort and self-expression in fashion design. Gupta also spoke about her relationship with her mother, actor Neena Gupta, and offered advice to aspiring designers to ask for what they deserve, delegate work, and be true to their own unique vision.

“I don’t sketch. Never have. That, to me, is not the best way to bring my vision to life. I first create the world around a creation… When I do runway shows, I always pick the music first and then design the collection. Because design is not just about a garment or pattern or fabric, it’s about being able to transport someone into a parallel world where pace and time cease to exist, says fashion designer and actor Masaba Gupta.

Masaba Gupta interacting with (left) Sanyukta Shrestha (HT Photo)
Masaba Gupta interacting with (left) Sanyukta Shrestha (HT Photo)

She was speaking during an insightful session with Nepalese designer and a champion for sustainability Sanyukta Shrestha. The session, titled Fashion Forward: Charting the Course for India’s Fashion Design Industry on a Global Stage, was held in the city as part of the Chandigarh Design Festival, organised at Chitkara International School, Sector 25, Chandigarh. The event saw some of the brightest minds from the design industry coming together to discuss the future of design in India and abroad.

On what fashion design means to her, Masaba says, “It’s possibly the purest form of creative expression, a carefree way to tell the world who you are and what you’re about. When I’m designing, I ensure that my guards are down… that there are no barriers or boundaries… that I express myself freely.”

Comfort first, she says, is her signature style. She says fashion doesn’t have to kill you. You can look good while also feeling good and comfortable.

The Masaba Masaba actor says she always wanted to act but “my mum (actor Neena Gupta) said don’t act”. “She would always say do something jis mein dimaag lagana ho. Because that’s something you can do forever whereas acting, especially in India, depends a lot on your physicality, your looks, and your age!” she explains.

She recalls that the first scene she shot was one with her mother and there were no dialogues, just expressions. After the first take, her mum said ‘You’re so bad at it. You need to work hard’. “Also, when I first told her about the show, she wondered if it’ll be something like Keeping Up With the Kardashians!” Masaba says, laughing.

On her relationship with her mum, Masaba adds that Neena (Gupta) is her biggest critic and motivates her to constantly work hard. She ensures that I know that just because you land an opportunity doesn’t mean you take it for granted, she says.

“I have also inherited her sense of humour. She is someone who can endlessly laugh at herself, alone. And I’m very similar,” the founder of LoveChild, says.

On how she dealt with the pressure of having famous parents as a child, she says that she thought of the world around her as a video game. Her motto was “earn points and don’t get killed.”

Her advice to upcoming fashion designers is to one, keep asking for what you deserve and not feel shy. “Secondly, it’s okay to not know everything and to be bad at certain things, like in her case, she confesses its math. Third, delegate work. Don’t try to do it all. And last but not the least, “don’t be a watered-down version of another designer. Be the best version of yourself,” she concludes.

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