Red Haute! Rocky S


He has some of the biggest names in Bollywood swearing by his brand of fashion while he makes and breaks conventional dressing patterns to create a melange of highly wearable and intrinsically intelligent apparel tailored to suit his client's personality. For ace dress designer Rocky S, one's persona is his biggest style statement.

His clothes have been known to vary from diminutive subtlety to unapologetic flamboyance draping all the shimmering stars of both sexes. Names like Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Esha Deol, Akshay Kumar, Diya Mirza, Amisha Patel and Bipasha Basu grace his ever-growing list of clients, while the fluttery fashion industry holds him proudly at its helm. Rocky S now spells RED HAUTE.

He hit a high note at the Selfridges show held in London earlier this year, where screen icon Hrithik Roshan made a mark sporting a sharp denim Rocky S creation creating a new fashion ripple this summer. Rocky himself prefers subtle dressing. Everything about his clothes reeks of an inexplicable normalcy, only to then break definition in detail. You can't miss his touch in the simplest outfit.

"I guess my clothes are different because I normally keep my client in mind when I design," says the designer. "Fashion should be as much about comfort as it is about looking good. You can never carry off an outfit if you don't feel good wearing it." That having been said, the designer has also often met with brickbats for his affection for lycra. The stunningly sensuous fabric finds its niche in many of the designer's clothes leading often to more blatant body imagery.

"What's wrong with the fabric? I absolutely love it," he grins. "It's a good stretchy kind of material that really shapes the body well. It has a fabulous fall and looks so good on people who wear it right. It's also an extremely durable fabric. You can wash lycra and it will never look old, even after a few wears."

For those who think Rocky waltzed into the world of apparel design after much planning, here's a whopper. Becoming a designer was not part of his agenda. "There was a measure of interest in fashion design, but I never thought I would really take it up because there were not many male fashion designers on the scene then and besides, there were hardly any institutes willing to take on a male student."

Not one to give up, he took the plunge by enrolling in the J.D Institute of Fashion Technology, and graduated as one of its first few students. "It was a tremendous experience for me," the designer admits. "I've learnt so much there." On his own, he began to carve a niche for himself in the fashion circuit waiting for his big break, which eventually found its way to him in the form of a show in Igedo, Germany along with a bunch of fellow designers.
 
"That's been my most memorable experience so far. It was my first big break and it pretty much brought me out on an international platform," he reminisces fondly. "The exposure was huge. After that there's been no turning back really." And strode he has from one victory to another as he catapulted to the upper echelons of the fashion community, to his current status as one of the most sought after designer in the industry.
 

Rocky's clothes are not just meant for comfortable fashion, they're very compatible with a lighter wallet. "Since my clothes have a specific client in mind, I cannot afford to keep them priced on the higher side. I prefer to maintain a far more affordable and approachable range. All that matters at the end of the day is that a person wearing my clothes feels right in them."
 
While the designer hobnobs with the who's who of the fashion and film world with almost forty films lined up for his Midas touch to be lent to star wardrobes, his true dream lies a few miles west. "London's the place!" he grins unabashedly. "That's where I see myself in the future. The city just sizzles and I want to be in the heart of it. My biggest dream is to set up a couple of stores under my own label there."
 
'I have a fashion show coming up there. That's what I'm really busy with at the moment," he states. Does that mean bye-bye India? "Of course not!" he exclaims. "India's my home. I'm never going to be too far away from what's going on here. I'll always be plugged in to the fashion scene in the country. But yeah, London's where I have to be."
 
For aspiring designers, Rocky has simple advice. "Keep it simple and never quit. Fight for your place and be honest in your work. That's more than enough to make you a success." Aye Aye Captain.
 

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