Master Piece

In a way,it was this belief that made the 58-year-old launch one of his labels,Just Cavalli,at the sprawling Emporio Mall at Vasant Kunj late last year. But his recent visit has left him a tad letdown. “I wish the owners of the mall had been better with managing the space. You see an indiscriminate amount of space being devoted to certain brands,while others have been left with too little. That’s a bit of a shame. Besides,it lacks character. Once you enter the place,you could be anywhere between New York and Shanghai. A more Indian touch would have been nice,” he says.

Maintaining one’s identity,he says with a wave of his hand,is crucial to fashion aesthetics,something that he adds,is his advice to Indian designers as well. “Their forte is the colours and the embroidery and the rich antique tradition. I don’t think they should try so hard to be modern,because then they end up being somewhere in-between like a bastard offspring. Respect your tradition and work around it. They are doing a fine job of it because they are at a stage now when they can understand fashion,” he says with just a touch of condescension,even as wife Eva Duringer,seated next to him,chips in how their first introduction to Indian fashion was through Manish Arora’s designs,when he launched internationally a couple of years back.

Cavalli’s designs are already a hit in Bollywood,with Kareena Kapoor,Shilpa Shetty,Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone being self-professed fans. The designer breaks out in effusive praise of Padukone in particular. “I love her. She started out with us almost the same time as she launched her career so she is special,” he says.

With such a fan following,is he planning more ventures in the country? Cavalli is quick with his answer,“Show me you love me and I’ll love you.” Love me,love my label.