Masaba Gupta

Masaba Gupta
Gupta at the Power Brands event
Born 1989/1990 (age:28-29)
Residence India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Fashion designer / Fashion Director of Satya Paul
Label(s) Masaba
Spouse(s) Madhu Mantena (2015 - present)
Parent(s) Neena Gupta (mother)
Viv Richards (father)
Website www.houseofmasaba.net

Masaba Gupta (born 1989/1990) is a leading Indian fashion designer.

Early life

She was born to West Indies cricketer Sir Viv Richards and Indian actress Neena Gupta. Gupta grew up in Mumbai.[1] At the age of 8, she wanted to become a tennis player, often playing 6–7 hours a day,[2] but she dropped the idea after the age of 16.[1] She was passionate about dance and music. She wanted to join Shiamak Davar's dance group after learning dance from him, but her mother advised against it. She then took up a course in music and dance[3] in London. She dropped out of the course because she felt lonely and could not act before returning to India.[4][3]

Later she joined Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic of Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University.

Gupta's parents never married and mother Neena raised her as a single-mother in India, which came with financial and societal hardships. But Gupta found a live-in father figure in her maternal grandfather who moved from Old Delhi to Mumbai to become the man of the house when she was born. Gupta's father Viv Richards finally got in touch with her when she turned 20. Gupta has stated that her attendance at a school which attracted many children of celebrities from dysfunctional families helped soften the stigma of being raised by a single mother.[5]

Reminiscing on her Indian grandfather's concern that she might become too dark playing tennis as a child, Gupta has decried Indians' preference for fair skin.[2]

Career

At 19, she applied for Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai with support from Wendell Rodricks. Gupta is well known for the creative and artistic/literary names she gives each collection. She named her first collection Kattran (English:miniature bits of fabric).[6] Her LFW 2014 collection "Wanderess," was, quote, "inspired by novelist Roman Payne’s doe-eyed gypsy girl character, Saskia" in his novel, The Wanderess.[7]

Masaba is a budding fashion designer and her flamboyant style can be defined as a blend of contemporary and traditional with modernity taking the upper hand and her style is actually bold and creative in nature. She specializes in ethnic wear for women and her choice of fabric material, colors and prints is inspiring to the core. The use of silk, chiffon and cotton apart from rich embroidery work can be seen in her dresses as every single outfit that she creates, speaks for itself. Her prints are really unique in nature and the creative motifs are inspiring that truly represents her style of designing fashion clothing for women. Masaba Gupta is known for her beautiful prints and motifs that are eye-catching to the core and this makes her fashion taste different from other designers who specialize in diverse arenas.[8]

She is noted for her unconventional prints along with feminine drapes and silhouettes.[9] DNA remarked her work has "a unique Indianness in a very modern context", citing her "Tamil script sarees and jackets" and the way she uses cotton and muslin.[10] Gupta has certainly made the Top Ten list of "the best Indian fashion designers." Some even put her at the very top.[11]

in 2016, Gupta admitted that a show meant to showcase a collection of colorful clothing to match a Maybelline New York lipstick line flopped for a variety of logistical reasons. The show was sponsored by Maybelline New York and the collection was inspired by New York's diverse culture.[12][13] But the biggest regret of her career was the Stylista collection which was poorly managed by the team in charge.[13]

In 2017, she was tasked with representing India in an exhibit showcasing re-designs of Levi's iconic trucker jacket. She chose to use her signature cow motif. The exhibit also featured a re-design by Justin Timberlake and other celebrities from across the world.[14]

in 2018 she launched a hijab-saree line targeting Muslim women who want to wear Indian high fashion.[15]

Personal life

Masaba married film producer Madhu Mantena on 2 June 2015 in a court marriage.[16] She has ruled out styling for his movies.[13]

Social media influence

Gupta's shows create a lot of chatter on social media due partially to her social media presence which appears to be methodically strategized.[13] She is credited to be the first Indian designer to do an Instagram show. She claims that 60% of her sales happen through WhatsApp.[13]

Following her support for an Indian court's decision to ban firecrackers during the Diwali holiday, Gupta was harassed by social media detractors who called her an "illegitimate West Indian."[17][18]

References

  1. 1 2 "Tennis : Sania is an icon for Indian sport: Masaba". The Hindu. 24 February 2005. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
  2. 1 2 Team, ELLE India. "Masaba Gupta cannot understand Indians' obsession with fair skin". Elle India. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  3. 1 2 Team, ELLE India. "Why Bollywood's favourite designer Masaba Gupta is the role model we all need". Elle India. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  4. "You have to learn from your mistakes: Masaba Gupta on Neena Gupta". FirstPost. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  5. "Neena Gupta: I want to tell all women that if you want to live in India and in society, you have to marry - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  6. "Take your chances like you take your vitamins: Masaba Gupta". India Today. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  7. "Lakmé Fashion Week – Masaba Gupta".
  8. "Masaba Gupta".
  9. "My stint with Satya Paul an eye-opener: Masaba Gupta". India Today. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  10. "What's your style: Fashion designer Masaba Gupta". dna. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  11. "The 10 Best Indian Fashion Designers You Should Know".
  12. "Masaba Gupta ties up with Maybelline New York for AIFW SS'17". The Indian Express. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "I would never work in Madhu's film: Masaba Gupta Mantena | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 2016-11-13. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  14. Team, ELLE India. "Masaba Gupta and Justin Timberlake have a major fashion project in common". Elle India. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  15. "Masaba Gupta designs a 'hijab-saree'!". BombayTimes. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  16. "Newly-weds Masaba Gupta and Madhu Mantena throw lavish reception for B-Town's swish set". Daily Mail. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  17. Desk, India.com Entertainment (2017-10-13). "Neena Gupta On Masaba Mantena's Open Letter : I'm Very Happy With Her Response And Liked The Way She Wrote It". India.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  18. "Masaba called 'illegitimate' for backing firecracker ban, gives perfect response". deccanchronicle.com/. 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.