Believing in the eternal quest for fashion – the pursuit of the Umami, the secret sixth sense or taste – Kolkata-based couturier Kiran Uttam Ghosh deconstructs her world of slow fashion, cooked slow with layers of deliciousness, dreams and desire.

From the poetry of Leonard Cohen to the gastronomic flavours of Kolkata, from a woman (stranger) passing by with her baby wearing a shade of lime green that gets her “obsessed” so much so that it becomes a palette story of her subsequent collection, to a crush on Sting and the incessant desire to travel, designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh lets us into her world defined by her own vision of art, design and creativity. Here, the designer whose label marries luxury pleats with handcrafted legacies tells us what drives her, why good fashion takes time just like a good movie, why there is fatigue today in the industry, and, above all, why age-old crafts must co-exist with technological interventions to speak in the design language of the 21st century. She also tells us why she’s excited about her new wave of digital buyers.
(Edited excerpts)

FL: What has changed courtesy of the pandemic as far as luxury and couture is concerned?

KUG: The pandemic has taught me that the ultimate luxury is time. Our time is limited: it’s ours to use or misuse. During the pandemic I have learnt to appreciate the magic of meticulously hand-embroidered French knots, delicately lazy daisies, and so many more stunning zardozi stitches by our senior hand embroidery karigars. These crafts are now becoming scarce in a post-COVID world where many skilled craftsmen in our villages are giving up on hand embroidery and moving to mundane factory jobs as the remuneration and job security is greater.

FL: If we talk about the communication and consumption of fashion, the digital medium plays a huge role in shaping consumer behaviour – be it through fashion films or online shopping and communities. How does your brand navigate that?

KUG: We love it! We have found this whole new world of online KUG buyers and loyalists across the world added to those already shopping at fine brick-and-mortar fashion stores. It’s surreal. I’m deeply grateful. Increasingly, in a world full of scarcities of time and paucities of attention, spontaneity is everything. Indeed, spontaneity is the spine of fashion. Fine fashion must attract spontaneously and fine fashion must react spontaneously. In a quickly configured world, permanence is obsolete. Amoeba-like, one must be able to adapt. The carefully constructed has paved the way for the rapidly evolving multiple online stores in haute couture constituencies.It has unfolded a digital world that’s simple yet sensational. It has an immediacy and an impulsiveness that is, in any case, the birthmark of shopping.

FL: What are some of the silhouettes and palettes in focus now at the brand?

KUG: It exudes a kind of slouchy-chic vibe that takes it effortlessly from morning to evening. We love working with wide-pleated pants in bright colours. The draped dresses and saris aim to be effortless to wear and yet make one look their glamorous best.

FL: We’ve read that in your South Kolkata residence, one would come across a bunch of English words – Eccentric, Sensual, Laughter, Elegant, Timeless, Spirited, Muslin, and other random words – embossed on a yellow wall.

KUG: Yes, it lists words that make me feel good. However chaotic the work day may be, I would like to believe that when I get home I’m in an oasis of peace, love and simplicity; it’s so quiet it feels like it could be on an island somewhere and not in the heart of a city.

FL: How does it reflect who you are and what you make?

KUG: I’d like to believe my home is simple but unpredictable, not simple and boring. What you see isn’t what you get. I feel my work echoes that simplicity. On the ground floor, a wall covered with black and white ramp shots of models featured in my collections is actually a bathroom door. The walls leading up the stairwell are painted with my etchings – random strokes of black and gold paint over shavings of wood is nothing if not whimsical. It’s still a work in progress. There are also my pleated drapes as installations interspersed with lights as you enter the house. I keep changing the drapes according to the mood of the moment, the colour of the season. William Morris’ observation, “You should have nothing in your house that you don’t know to be useful or believe to be beautiful,” guided my design philosophy. My art, drawings and cherished belongings found their place around me in my home – not isolated or canonised but used and useful. And that defines my home, filled with things that are designed to be lived with and that I’m happy to grow old with.

FL: From the poetry of Leonard Cohen to Katharine Hepburn (American actor) and Kolkata puchkas – what all inspire you as an individual and a fashion designer?

KUG: Inspiration is everywhere. Once when I was waiting for a friend on a busy road, a woman passed by with a baby wearing a lime green nappy. Those were pre-mobile phone days so no camera was handy. I got back home and painted the shade and went on to create an entire lime season that sold out. I love travelling. Every few weeks I try to find a reason to travel. A few years ago I decided to take a break from my regular crazy schedule at work. The plan was to spend more time creating with my karigars and less with admin issues and to travel as often as I could. That year I clocked in 17 holidays because I’m always short on time. I often take three-day vacations as long as it’s one flight away. It’s a formula that works perfectly for my life. Needless to say thereafter I had to get back to the grind to sustain the economics of my nomadic aspirations! I still manage quite a few vacations. I have a deep crush on Sting.

We grew up listening to his music. A week before fashion week, I took off to Dubai to see him perform live. He was outstanding. It was a trip of a lifetime. Fashion could wait. Leonard Cohen’s poetry is amazing and the way he recreated his life has been an inspiration. Some pearls of wisdom I live by: “Never apologise for burning too brightly or collapsing into yourself every night … That is how galaxies are made.” – Tyler Kent White

FL: Could you tell us how the Kiran Uttam Ghosh signature morphs through the key offerings across prêt, diffusion and bridal?

KUG: Sometimes I feel my life is driven in the pursuit of the Umami of fashion. Almost like a holy quest. So, what is Umami? Umami is the fifth taste or the sixth sense after salt, sweet, sour, and bitter. Studies confirmed just a few years ago that our mouths contain receptors for this savoury fifth taste. It has been variously translated from Japanese as yummy deliciousness or savoury taste. And, it is found in slow-cooked broths and soups, cheeses, mushrooms, and, apparently even asparagus and cured meats. It is the unknowable essence that exists beyond all the known and accepted metrics; it exists in the wondrous combination that creates a sum greater than the parts. For the artist chef, the amalgam of the ingredients with differing flavours and textures creates an indefinable otherness that is uniquely separate and distinctive from its original qualities. This is Umami. As a designer, the process is absolutely identical and each cut, each stitch, each line, each garment, each collection is imbued with the couturier’s Umami – that sixth sense or the fifth taste that makes an outfit move from everyday to the extraordinary. It is akin to the process of cooking. For example, at Gaggan that has been arguably one of the best restaurants in Asia, chef Gaggan’s (Anand) simple ingredients combine to create surprising flavours that trigger deliciousness and happy memories. Or when sometimes I’m awestruck by how simplicity can transform a woman: you take regular soft ivory georgette fabric, embellish it with subtle details and cut it so it drapes sensuously across her body and voila! She emerges magical. The amazing taste/ sense that evolves as the end result of the creative process, in this case marrying my fine handcrafted zardozi and aari embroideries to embellish our pleated fabrics that are created by international cutting-edge machines, keeps our talented Bengali hand-embroidery karigars relevant in the modern world of today. It is an indefinable amalgam that is richer than the components could ever be. That is what we designers do: take an ingredient, guild it with our sensibility, our design and make it extraordinary. That’s the goal. That’s the energy that wakes me up in the morning, powers my day and drives my dreams.

FL: What does sustainability mean to you?

KUG: We have from the outset optimised resources by reusing fabric wastage as patchwork, buttons to create 3D embroideries, installation art etc. Minimising wastage started with my first garment. It was called ‘Katran ka Almari’ and had colour-coded leftover fabric pieces to be reused. The journey still continues. The fine hand embroideries on brilliant modern fabrics make us appreciate the magic of this connection. Handicrafts must walk with technology to survive well in the 21st century and beyond.

FL: What’s next?

KUG: I often feel creating a collection is almost like making a movie. The effort, attention to detail and the team work is endless. I don’t know of any director who can produce four good movies a year. Similarly, it’s not possible to produce four amazing collections by the same designer in a year. In addition, we have the festive lines and sub collections. Which is why when people say fashion is not as creative as it used to be, one doesn’t see enough change, it’s because we just don’t have enough time today. Before we finish one collection we’ve started on the second. There’s just no time to reflect on what we’ve created, to absorb and to have another perspective. I find so many of my colleagues experiencing exhaustion and stress issues, from backaches to headaches because of this endless process. There seems to be extreme fatigue, and I believe this isn’t just limited to the designers, it is true for the fashion press who have to travel season after season with not enough time to write reviews, and the stores, buyers, and merchandisers who are continuously on the go without a break. I’m in this business because I love and enjoy fashion. I really wouldn’t want to do anything else. And I believe most of us in fashion feel similarly. I just often wish I could have a little more time to enjoy it, to savour the amazing work we create. I don’t know how or when but there needs to be some change. I’m hopeful one day the industry will work together to make it happen.