Why Sabyasachi is the Salman Khan of Indian fashion

For the last few days, ever since the opening of the Amazon India Couture Week (AICW) 2015, with the Sabyasachi and Louboutin collaboration, no matter where I go, all I see are pretty pictures of Sabyasachi’s signature style ensembles, and now even shoes.

The show was executed with dream-like perfection - a dark Gothic elaborate set used as the ramp, with wooden floors and walls coated with multiple layers of hapless polish in varied hues of the Earth creating an old world charm in a new age world; wall of windows, worn out fabrics and a dull glow of the spotlight that gave every sequin on every garment a moment to shine.

Sabyasachi’s shows have come to be known for not just the fashion and the clothes but for the experience of being transported into a different era, and this show was no different. In fact, the show was not different at all – the same silhouettes, same muted colour palette of gold, black, reds and hints of pink and green, same dark-looking set, same hair and makeup, and same elaborate knots of resham, sea of sequin and intense zardozari.

The critics, the contemporaries and the jealous are busy boohooing his collection for the lack of ingenuity and newness, but Sabyasachi can’t hear any of it, for two reasons: one the sound of the applause from the millions of Indian brides queued up outside his stores (there are ten million weddings in India every year) is too loud to hear anything. Apart from this, there is the sound of the clinking of money rolling in.

Reason number two is that he chooses to ignore all the fuss and focus instead on what works. Being the savvy businessman that he is, he has developed the perfect formula that works each and every time. Why would he want to change it? Why would he want to reinvent a wheel that is spinning to absolute perfection. The critics can thumb him down all they want as he makes multiple runs to the bank in fiery red-soled Louboutins and cash-filled sequin encrusted suitcases. Sabyasachi the genius! Oh yes.

So now that he has the Indian brides safely tucked in his deep pockets, he has created a line for the Indian men, a line that he knows women will love, after all, behind every groom there is a bridezilla, mother, sister or mother-in-law. With his latest line, he makes sure he captures the grooms and tosses them into the pocket too. With a double income. That’s smart!

And if that wasn’t enough, he has decided to collaborate with the god of shoes, Christian Louboutin himself and stamp Sabyasachi all over the legendary red soles. Now not just Indian brides, but every Parisian, Louboutin-loving, fashionista will be queuing up to slip their feet into those gorgeous, exotic, but painful-looking high heels. Genius I say!

The shoes for the men though were a whole different story, and with metallic bases covered with baroque details, bugs and fireflies, they had me enchanted and with no heel to have to precariously balance on, these did look a lot more comfortable. So now Mr Sabyasachi does not just do the wedding ensembles, he has the footwear covered too. Hmmm... savvy businessman and how.

Soon the entire Indian wedding market will be consumed by Sabyasachi, from the wedding invites, to the décor, the flowers, favours, and even an exotic vintage wedding photoshoot in Sabyasachi's signature style.

This man has proven to be the Salman Khan of Indian designing. I love Salman and I love Sabyasachi. Just wondering now, whether I love Sabyasachi the designer more or Sabyasachi the businessman more.