For designer Bibhu Mohapatra, who’s dressed Michelle Obama and opera divas, India remains both the muse and the ultimate market
On a balmy October evening, a well-heeled, glittering crowd descends on the newly refurbished Pragati Maidan, in the heart of Delhi. They settle around a large amphitheatre. Before long, fountains spout up toward the sky as the stage lights up. Vasundhara Vee, known for her soulful- jazz and Sukanya Chattopadhyay, a singer of Hindustani classical, set the mood as models strut out wearing cocktail dresses, structured gowns, chic blazers, slinky skirts, and other embellished outfits. Bibhu Mohapatra is back. The OG ambassador for Indian design abroad showed on home turf after nearly a decade.
Bibhu Mohapatra’s (centre) closing show at the FDCI Lakme Fashion Week, titled Come Home, featured celeb showstoppers Ananya Panday, Bipasha Basu, Simone Singh and Carol Gracias. (Perfect Shadows / FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week / RISE Worldwide)
Mohapatra’s show in India featured his crisp international silhouettes but with distinct Indian touches, like the outfit Bipasha Basu is wearing. (Perfect Shadows / FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week / RISE Worldwide)Ananya Panday walks at Mohapatra’s closing show at Lakme Fashion Week in Delhi, in partnership with FDCI, last week. (Perfect Shadows / FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week / RISE Worldwide)Mohapatra’s recent collection—showcased by Lisa Haydon—showed the possibility of sartorial lightness and freshness in a market saturated with heavily embellished clothing. (Perfect Shadows / FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week / RISE Worldwide)Bibhu Mohapatra, who started out as a stage costumer, designed the clothes for the Washington National Opera in 2021. (Bibhu Mohapatra)
