For designer and costume historian Umang Hutheesing, design is a passion and a patronage. Hailing from the oldest (since 1981 in fact) established design company of Asia, which is a founding partner of Louise Tiffany (now Tiffany and Company); all his predecessors are well-educated in business. Irrespective of their interests be it IT, engineering, design et al each and every member of the family has a strong grip over the nitty-gritty of business. Umang is simply “taking forward the legacy of what his ancestors started centuries back”

Inspired by the classics…

Umang emphatically states that his designs are based on classics and he avoids fusion as he is a hard-core ‘revivalist’!  He further elaborates “I am a patron of culture, art and my heritage; and all my designs are inspired by heritage and culture and they remain true to classical sense. My inspiration comes from having known and understood the classics. Everybody has their own signature style... this is mine”

To quote Jawaharlal Nehru - “The early beginnings of civilization are tied up with the manufacture of textiles, and history might well be written with this as the leading motif.”And India undoubtedly has a great heritage in textiles and handicrafts. The objective of Umang’s designing is “not just showcasing beautiful art but also supporting, sustaining and keeping alive our heritage of hand craftsmanship”

Thoughts on fashion

According to Umang fashion is an entirely different ball game. He firmly denies being in the fashion rat race and is proud that he belongs to the ‘classic stratum’ that never goes out-of-fashion, that never changes and that is perennially charismatic! Like he says “Culture is never temporary… Cultural heritage evolves over time but never changes; while it is the contrary which holds true for fashion!”

Personal fashion statement

The designer par excellence is himself always seen in a regular khadi kurta the reason being he is a firm believer in the Gandhian values of simplicity and humility. Moreover he adds with a smile “Honestly, there is nothing more stylish than our khadi kurta because it is only when you have mastered arrogance that you can afford to be simple; and only when you are an achiever on the social ladder can you be humble! Hence humility and simplicity are the ultimate statement of having reached the pinnacle until then you are in the process of ‘trying to be’!”

Navratri doesn’t need a fashion statement

Umang strongly believes that Navratri is not for making a fashion statement … “it’s a religious festival dedicated to Nav Durga so it’s all about devotion. Revellers do wear traditional clothes but it has been the same since years… there is no change per se.”

It is SheriGarba (house garba) which excites this designer instead of its commercial counterpart. “house garba is a wonderful thing which is coming back in trend. Navratri is not a fashion statement ...a ghaghara will be a ghaghara! Navratri garba according to me starts with an Aarti and ends with the same. So my style statement to all the garba goers is to ‘go with purity and devotion’”.

Wedding designs in the pipeline

Umang never repeats his designs his each piece is one of a kind! For brides-to-be his designer wear varies from simple, exquisite and beautiful panetars…to heavily embellished complex garments basis various factors like comfort level, need to look unique et al besides the cost. Umang nicely encapsulates this for us “my job is not to put something which I have made on a bride; in fact my job is to give something to the bride that makes her happy on her wedding day and something that she has dreamt and fantasised about as it is HER special day!”

Relationship with royalty

Umang attends a lot of weddings and royal functions…and many royalties attend his events too besides walking the ramp for him. Their association is not simply based on clothing or fashion but rather on heritage and culture. The single thread which binds them is their custodianship of culture and tradition. Instead of ‘re-inventing traditions’ they are ‘continuing with traditions’; hence the relationship with royalty is not based on the modern platform of fashion but rather on the sturdy foundation of history.

Navratri…then and now

Umang feels that the longest dance festival in India is celebrated across the country in varied ways not just through dancing but also through fasting. Royal families follow certain traditional rituals like celebrating it in the courtyard in a close knitted ceremony offering their devotion to Maa Durga. 

He nostalgically talks about the Navratri organized by the Maharaja and Maharani of Baroda last year where around 10k people had gathered to enjoy the event; and mentions that it was an aesthetic and beautifully done celebration with royalties from all over the country attending the function. 

During the earlier times people used to celebrate Navratri very simply by fasting and offering sweets to Maa Durga and lighting an oil lamp. And for Umang “This is precisely the best way to celebrate Navratra. Dancing is more of an outlet for our expressions. A 5000-year tradition can’t be changed based on a fad which has come up in the recent 30 years!” 

Umang signs off with Navratri Greetings to all the readers…