Click To Buy Bal

Rohit Bal is taking the road less travelled, by venturing into e-retail with his Indianwear line that carries the flavour of his iconoclastic ideology. Do you have your credit card ready?

Kashmir-born couturier Rohit Bal has been on the fashion forefront for 25 years, carving a distinctive identity with his signature lotus motif; both a metaphor of life (the flower blooms in dirty marshlands) and an homage to his birthplace. But the NIFT-ian is also known for his uncanny ability to craft couture out of the simplest things. Perhaps that’s why his dream of creating an empire started in the smallest, simplest way—with one rack in an ordinary basement store, Mutiny, in New Delhi’s Greater Kailash-I market. Perhaps that’s why he was able to ride the crests and troughs of fashion to come out right on top.

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And he did that with the skill of a seasoned seafarer. Today, he has spread his reign across various cities, reporting a robust growth. After a successful brush with the food business with the boudoir-style restaurant Veda, and collaborations with apparel brand BIBA and beauty brands like Lancôme and Oriflame, Bal is finally ready to take on the virtual world.

With a view to cater to a burgeoning aspirational class always on the lookout for designer outfits at an affordable price, Bal decided to collaborate with Jabong, an e-retail portal. The Rohit Bal for Jabong collection, priced between ₹7,000 and ₹18,000, will have as many as 46 styles, which will be available starting April 16. Arun Chandra Mohan, CEO and founder of Jabong, will manufacture and market these Indian styles (kurtas, lehengas, cholis and tunics, which come replete with embellishment and embroidery). “There will be more pieces in the ₹7,000 range—around 100—and only about 15-odd in the ₹18,000 bracket,” he says.

With over two million hits a day, Jabong caters to tech-savvy women between the ages of 18 and 35, who are graduating to the next level—designer labels—after experimenting with high-street brands. The garments will be put through a stress test by a Swedish company to ensure the highest quality. And once you’ve zeroed-in on the piece you fancy, it will be at your doorstep within 48 hours. Not surprisingly, the delivery time has been reduced exclusively for this collection. Because once you’ve ordered a Bal outfit, you can’t wait to flaunt it!

When Mohan approached Bal, the two hit it off almost instantly and, as they say, there was no looking back. “It was an alignment of thinking minds—we wanted to give those, who only dreamt of owning a fashion label, a shot at it,” says Bal. “When most designers are looking at being exclusive, I took the road less travelled. When I met Arun and we discussed the reach of my label to Tier 2 and 3 cities, which are rapidly growing, I was game for it. It seemed like a fabulous idea, because as a designer I want to be accessible to so many more people—therein lies my real success,” he adds. Bal has been the country’s most respected style guru who has never strayed away from his luxe ideology, creating ensembles that celebrate the textile heritage of the country. With unparalleled finish and craftsmanship, he carries on his relentless work with the Varanasi weavers, which has been his forte. “We are, in a way, democratising fashion through e-retail and I hope this diminutive attempt will be appreciated by those who want value-for-money,” says Bal, excited about the new venture. We can’t wait to go clicking.

From the May 2014 issue of L’Officiel India.