ROHIT BAL - DESIGNER

Fame rests lightly but with certainty on Rohit Bal, whom Time magazine in its recent Special Report on India (March 25, 1996) profiled as 'India's Master of fabric and fantasy.' The regard he commands among the top echelons of Indian fashion is endorsed by a discerning, high profile clientele, that includes some of India's biggest names in the media, film, fashion and corporate world. His affair with the media has been long-standing and passionate. Never, it seems, has one man been the focus of the attentions of so many. Reams of adulatory print continue to roll off the presses as he unveils one collection after another, each one more fantastic than the last. Intensely concerned with design as an art form, he draws upon history, fantasy and folklore to create his masterpieces, which retail for up to 15,000 USD. These are gone before you know it, snapped up by the discerning and needless to say, the wealthy. So completely does he seem to have understood the psyche of the target consumer, that fashion pundits credit him with setting the trend for every season. His address to the fashion scene is intelligent and studied, yet imaginative and inspired. Graduating from New Delhi's St. Stephen's College with a first class (Hons.) degree in History, the compulsive designer worked for a few years with his brother's export company. In 1990 he created his first line, traditional designer wear for men and the rest, indeed, is history. The 34-year-old designer's sense of aesthetics is finely honed, and each of his creations is handcrafted to perfection, with meticulous attention to detail. He has access to the best the industry has to offer in terms of materials and workmanship. From villages where local craftsmen weave dreams with magic fingers, to factories, workshops and outlets where retailers jostle for survival, to the opulent grandeur of glitzy boutiques and malls at the best addresses in the big cities of high fashion, Rohit Bal can lead one to the doors of discovery, and he holds the key.