Nachiket Barve loves food and fashion but not necessarily in that order. The designer has been here many times, but this will be the first time that he brings his preview collection, Chiaroscuro (Italian for light-dark) to Hyderabad at Elahe.
“I love interacting with clients,” he says, adding, “For me it’s important to understand what they need and to deliver that.” His collection in Hyderabad has 200 outfits — there’s pretty much something for everyone. “I draw my inspiration from life. Whether it is the client I’m working for or the designs I’m creating,” he says. And that is evident when you look at his work. On display are kurtas, gowns, anarkalis and sarees, all inspired by films like Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds, architecture, light and shadow and more.
Nachiket also took out time for a bit about himself. “When I’m at my studio, I take time out to read my archives of National Geographic magazines... I’m inspired by the tribes, the animals... almost everything... you name it,” he says.
And when Nachiket is not busy designing, even though he “makes it a point to design at least something every day,” he is busy cooking and when he finds the time, he goes on treks and holidays. “Oh, I’m a big foodie (points at self and laughs), doesn’t it show? I love cooking and yes, eating, so I do make sure that I cook at least once a week. My most recent dish is the Sushi, I learnt it off YouTube! Apart from that I love taking small vacations and I trek quite a bit,” says the designer.
Apart from that, what not many know is that Nachiket also loves photography. “I love photography. I shoot many things, but what interests me the most are lights and the shadows they create,” he says.
Nachiket has designed for many celebrities, but he says that he doesn’t have any favourites. “There is no single favourite but I’ve designed for stars like Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Kalki and Lara Dutta. I like designing for varied age groups.”
The outfit worn by the model is inspired by the shadow of a grill
