Over the past weekend I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing one of Bollywood’s leading fashion designers Rohhit Verma. Rohhit was in South Africa to showcase his collection at My Fairytale Wedding held at the Suncoast Casino and Entertainment world.
Having designed for many of Bollywood’s leading ladies, Rohhit Verma is also known for his work as an actor in the 2008 blockbuster movie ”Fashion”. He is best known for the Zoom tv show “Style Strip” which he presents, and his stint in the Indian reality show “Big Boss”.
I chatted to him about his love for fashion and was lucky enough to preview some of his creative couture creations . Each ensemble was more breathtaking than the other and you could tell the enormous amount of work put into each design.
Q- How did you get started in the Fashion Industry?
A- Well, my career began in 1996. I come from a family of intellectuals, my father, grandmother and grandfather came from very literate backgrounds and they were not happy about me pursuing a career in fashion, as people at that time did not appreciate fashion designers and the term given to them were tailors. However, I was very strong headed and wanted to do what made me happy so I moved to Bombay.
Q- What is it like working with Bollywood celebs?
A- See, I have always been working with Bollywood celebs. It is always good when someone appreciates your work. It definitely gets designers a lot of publicity but what excites me is dressing a normal girl and turning her into an ultra modern women. The Bollywood stars definitely gets me a lot of business.
Q- Who is your favourite celeb to dress and why?
A- I cannot name any particular person as I may offend someone. All the dresses on the red carpet are actually my favourite.
Q- What can we expect from your collection?
A- My show is tomorrow. It is based on ‘Emotions Behind Abaya’. It is very dramatic and mixed with emotions. Every women wants to look and feel gorgeous but due to certain restrictions, they wear the abaya on top. The collections ranges from ultra simple to ultra glam with drapes of colours on the runway.
Q-What are the Fashion Trends for 2013?
A- Wear your clothes with attitude is what is in right now. Every person must create their own style statement. We fashion forecasters can only give the colour scheme, palettes etc. It all depends on your comfort zone and style is on a one to one basis.
Q- What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?
A- Believe in yourself. Firstly you need to realise that you need to do what makes you happy. Fashion designing sounds very easy but is actually a very vast business from fashion retailing, merchandising, retailing,to illustration and embroidery. It is a blend of both and is a tough life out there.
Q- What can we expect from you for the rest of 2013?
A- I will be doing a fashion show in September this year in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and yes with Bollywood stars. My store in Sandton is all set now. I love South Africa because people really appreciate my art and work. I hope more South Africans will be wearing more of Rohhit Verma designs in the future.
Pictured below- Rohhit Verma with one of the models at My Fairytale Wedding Showcase.
Pictured Below: Bollywood Actress Sunny Leone wearing one of Rohhit’s designs.
Pictured below: Models showcasing some of his previous designs
We would like to thank Rohhit Verma for taking the time to chat to us and wish him all the best. If you would like to purchase one of these gorgeous couture creations, you can contact The Fashion Elite Society for more information.
Image Sources/Credits: Wikipaedia, www.rohhitverma.com ,Colourise Photography (Joanna). A special thanks to Fatima Cassim.
