If the earliest influences on noted graphic designer Nasha Mehta’s oeuvre had to be traced, we’d have to go back to her childhood in Karachi. With a mother who was passionate about art, Nasha recounts going about the galleries in town, being taken along for shopping excursions for fabrics and carpets, occasional trips to the bazaar. And then there were the traditions of her Parsi family that also left a lasting impression: the chalk patterns drawn by the entrance to her home, the intricate weave of Gara saris. “I loved drawing and keeping diaries, documenting and illustrating what I saw as I travelled,” Nasha remembers.
As the years passed, Nasha would move on to other metros — Mumbai and New York — and each would add to her sensibilities. She calls it “experiencing the best of both worlds”. “Living in NYC and Mumbai has exposed me to the best of fashion, art, architecture, photography, textiles, furniture and then some,” Nasha says. “It has all influenced the way I see and do things. I have had access to some of the most prestigious museums in the world in NYC and the most beautiful handicrafts in Mumbai. I take inspiration from anything I see, hear and touch.”
Nasha also counts among her inspirations, greats like Picasso, Matisse, Roy Lichtenstein, to Seher Shah, Kate Spade and Sabyasachi. Her own work, which she has been doing through the studio ‘Design by Nasha’, is strikingly original, and covers a gamut of media — everything from personalised stationery and wedding/event invites to home décor accessories (place mats, coasters, wine skins), furniture and fashion (with designer Payal Singhal).
Nasha tells us that when she first set up her studio, her focus was on branding. It was as wedding and event-related requests came her way that she ventured into stationery, and from there, to her other design projects. The most famous of these has been Nasha’s collaboration with designer Payal Singhal (the distinctive prints on Payal’s pieces are created by Nasha). Of the association, Nasha says, “Payal and I have a great working relationship. I have worked with her over the past couple of years, to help her rebrand. We wanted to do something together and proceeded to work on getting my print onto her silhouettes. The jewellery of the Ottoman court inspired the Ottoman print. We wanted to create a motif that was bold, modern and made a statement, yet reflected the jewellery designs of the time.”
Nasha is currently working on a Diwali line, and collaborating with a company to design home products such as trays, napkin and cutlery holders. Doesn’t she ever suffer from “creative blocks”? “Creative blocks are always temporary,” Nasha says. “I just distance myself from what I’m doing for a day or two. Coming back to it after taking a break often helps me to proceed with a different perspective. I sometimes refer to books/magazines for inspiration.” “In life, and especially in the creative field, I think it’s important to keep learning and growing,” she adds. “Being influenced in different directions is what keeps the creativity flowing.”
