As much as he is loved for his designs, Sabyasachi is also often trolled on social media for his fashion shoots and campaigns. The designer, who mostly has refrained from commenting on this, shared that he has not been on social media for some years now and hasn’t been happier. Sabyasachi was speaking at IFCCI Luxury Symposium in Delhi on the topic ‘Is this India’s luxury moment?’ and spoke about the change in consumer choices and the way forward for luxury brands.
‘People troll me for everything – my models don’t smile, lehengas are always red’
The designer said that though many people would have an opinion on his brand, that doesn’t bother him.He said, “I quitInstagram about three years ago and I probably have never been happier. I don’t think any other brand has been as much trolled as we are on social media and people troll me for everything, my models never smile, lehengas are always red and it goes on. People will always have an opinion about who you should be, but it’s very important for you to have an opinion about who you should be and who you are. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but what is important is to stay true on your part. I have done many collaborations with Christian Louboutin and I learn so much when we talk and he said that despite what people said, he stayed true to his belief of what his brand should look like. So for me I think novelty is important, but what gives you longevity and will make you remember you is when you stay true to who you are. Just to give an anecdote, when I started I made everything myself and had just one tailor. I don’t have that single piece as an archive and now when we are creating archives and we went to our old customers, I told them I can pay them ten times the price, but they said they would loan it to me, but never resell. A consumer would buy things not to add to their collection, but something that would bring a sense of pride to them.”
‘Luxury brands that have built their business with integrity will be the brands of the future’
The designer shared that while earlier brands used to decide what the consumer would buy, major reversal is now happening when the consumer is deciding what the brands should sell. “We are going into the new chapter of luxury right now which will be about how we started, where it was about the product and not about marketing. In years to come brands that have built their businesses with integrity, that have focussed on the product first and then marketing will be the brands of the future. It’s not just the integrity of the product, but also how important your ecosystem is for you. When I look back, my pride is not in how many celebrities I have dressed or how many red carpets have celebs walked in my designs, or how many fashion shows I have done, our pride comes from the fact that we have done things the right way.”