Love of creativity and design!
Bibhu Mohapatra:
Transcending
Traditions!
In the series of, The Power of a Diamond
– Episode 3, Forevermark presented Transcending Traditions of Bibhu Mohapatra!
The podcast recording, the content included and imagery captured and featured
in this article, took place pre Covid-19 and before social distancing measures
were put in place
From Sari’s to diamonds and everything
in between, in this episode, Indian fashion designer, Bibhu Mohapatra, speaks
to editor and broadcaster, Mimma Viglezio about stepping away from a
traditional Indian role to pursue his career in fashion. They discuss his
childhood on the East Coast of India, the initial exposure and influence of his
Indian heritage and the importance of staying true to who you are.
The conversation begins with Bibhu
explaining where his love of creativity and design was first brought to life,
in Eastern India, as a child. “When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I saw my
mother on a sewing machine making things and I showed a lot of interest and one
day she said, you want to try? And I said yes, so she got up and taught me how
to sew.”
Enthralled by the vivid colours and
craftsmanship, this is the moment that sparked Bibhu’s creativity, from then
on, with his family’s encouragement, he would cut up his mother’s old saris and
bed sheets to experiment with and create a range of different and exciting
shapes and designs.
It was then, a few years on from this,
that Bibhu realised the true power that his clothing could have on people. “It
was at a reception evening, my sister was sixteen or something and also very
shy but I remember her walking into that hall, so confident and every head
turned because she looked very confident and beautiful.”
As a designer, Bibhu pulls so much
inspiration from his Indian heritage, whether it’s through the vibrant colours
that he uses or the beautiful pattern of the embroideries. “My heritage is
always there, but when I process it through and I put pencil to paper, it comes
out in some modern version of it.”
One traditional Indian craft that Bibhu
feels particularly passionate about is Ikat, a dyeing technique used to pattern
textiles. Having grown up around this craft, with its bright colours, it has
helped form Bibhu’s design aesthetic today, so he feels particularly passionate
about reviving and keeping this technique alive.
With this in mind, Bibhu plans on
continuing to use this ancient craft within his designs, supporting and
commissioning the small villages that still continue to make the craft. This
showcases how these Indian traditions can stay alive and transcend into modern
designs today.
As well as the bright colours and bold
fabrics within Indian culture, jewellery is also a huge part. So, considering
this, and Bibhu’s strong passion for the longevity of traditional crafts, it
was only fitting that Bibhu’s first fine jewellery collection, in collaboration
with Forevermark – The Forevermark Artemis™ collection – heroed natural
diamonds that are billions of years old that will live Forever.
By staying true to his heritage, it was
Bibhu’s stunning Indian inspired designs that helped lead him to his big break
and a turning point in his career. Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United
States of America at the time, wore one of his designs on a visit to India and
every news media covered it. This high-level exposure helped bring Bibhu’s
designs to the forefront as well as making him a world-renowned fashion
designer and highlighting the creative talent in India.
The episode features Forevermark
collaborator Bibhu Mohapatra, speaking to editor and broadcaster, Mimma
Viglezio about stepping away from a traditional Indian role to pursue his
career in fashion. They discuss his childhood on the East Coast of India, the
initial exposure and influence of his Indian heritage that has helped form his
design aesthetic today, to collaborating with us on his first fine jewellery
collection– The Forevermark Artemis collection – featuring our beautiful rare
and responsibly sourced natural diamonds.
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