Shahab Durazi: There is No Room for Complacency or Mediocrity in a Creative Space I Exclusive

With an illustrious career spanning over three decades, Shahab Durazi is making a comeback on the runway after a gap of 12 years. As the FDCI Showcase of Season, Shahab Durazi will present his capsule collection, which is inspired by the 40s and 50s, an era known for its vintage chic.

Ahead of the much-awaited showcase, the fashion maestro, speaks News18 about returning to the ramp after 12 years, the Bollywood showstopper syndrome and the relevance of timelessness in the world of social media.

You and your label are making a comeback this season, what or who encouraged you to return to the runway after a gap of 12 years?

I have always preferred doing very few shows. I believe you step out in the limelight to tell a new story, or sometimes revisit an old one, albeit with a twist. For me it’s imperative the narrative must be inspiring and worthy of an esteemed platform, else your work is viewed with disinterest, seen as repetitive and lacks creative ingenuity. There is no room for complacency or mediocrity in a creative space. It needs the undivided attention of your audience. If I am convinced my narrative can hold the attention of my target audience, I pursue an appropriate platform to showcase.

What have you named your capsule collection and how much of it defines and reflects Shahab Durazi’s journey?

I am presenting a retrospective of my label ‘Shahab Durazi’. The capsule collection is a radical reflection of the brand dating back to around ten years. Nostalgia is the overarching theme – borrowed mainly from the 40s and 50s vintage chic era, which inspire a lot of details like pristine collars and cuffs from the English dandy dress code, quilted cummerbunds, bows embellished with pearls and silk ribbons, etc. I have an affinity for sticking to neutral tones, mainly black, in my personal style as well as in my work, which I haven’t budged from till date.

This collection heroes the mystery of black, juxtaposed with white, cream, bone, ecru, dove, slate, and silver. We also leaned into the brand’s various couture strengths, favourably used in the past, which I believe are a great vehicle of relevance for some of the younger audience who may not entirely be aware of our body of work. Art from the Renaissance and Rococo movements are also a piece of history that inspire the collection in the form of large French motifs. Overall, the capsule will endorse slow fashion and the relevance of timelessness to defy the concept of trends and transcend season, gender, and genre. In simpler terms, it is classic couture with contemporary nuances.

Stars such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Bipasha Basu who once modelled in your designs, are Bollywood stars today. Do you miss the supermodel culture on the runway?

It is truly an interconnected world today. Over and above the range of Bollywood showstoppers stomping the runway, the industry has evolved to accommodate even influencers and social media celebrities to step out on the ramp as showstoppers. There is a healthy mix of supermodels, movie stars and opinion leaders who are all becoming a part of the runway to create a wow factor that the audiences are looking to get with each show, and I am excited to bring that alive in my presentation as well.

Social media has become the window to fashion trends and styles. How much of it do you include in your life and in your work?

My fashion aesthetic as well as sensibilities are vintage, nostalgic that attempts to address the ever-evolving role of style and elegance – I have and will stay true to this timelessness in clothing that is desired by many and is the true essence of what fashion is. Though, I keep my distance from trends but am able to mould our own standards in the modern industry, owing to our past which we can always turn to for inspiration. Structural excellence and an ageless appeal are what we strive for at Shahab Durazi.

However, I would agree that social media and the internet at large has helped amplify these trends massively. Y2K fashion is back purely based on the Gen Z’s affinity to go old-school and similarly there are many trends that keep making a comeback and thanks to social media, we all become a part of it very quickly.

A designer is like a storyteller, for whom the fabric is like a book waiting to be read. What makes your design sensibilities unique and what story are you ready to narrate at FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week?

The brand’s design sensibilities are in many ways a reflection of myself, which brings the kind of authenticity to the brand that uber-modern, abstract concepts may not be able to. At FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week, I want to endorse slow fashion and the relevance of timelessness that defies the concept of trends and promotes classic couture with contemporary nuances. There is a certain sharpness yet softness to this new collection brought by the vast ensemble of silhouettes, which translates the language of modernity and fluidity. As it has always been, the hope with this collection too, is to consciously create a distinctive space for western couture that’s indisputably based on a unique aesthetic. It’s always exciting to showcase on an esteemed platform like FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week, and I am happy to be doing this as the FDCI Showcase Designer of the season.

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