Siddartha Tytler on his latest collection ‘Mehfil-e-Husn’: ‘It’s derived from Kama Sutra’

Edited excerpts below:

What led to the conceptualisation of your latest collection?

So, my concepts are usually derived from something that grabs my attention at the moment. To be very honest, I rewatched Kama Sutra by Mira Nair and it just got my creative juices flowing. So yeah, it’s a collection derived from Kama Sutra about the Mughal Era, how the courtesans ruled their world at that time, and how they were muses to men. It was all about women’s empowerment, basically.

Why did you decide to call it ‘Mehfil-e-Husn’; with ‘husn’ (as a term) not really associated with garments?

‘Husn’, in its Urdu classic term, means beauty. We are actually taking inspiration from the word because this collection is about beauty, women, celebrating women and how strong they are.

What does the collection entail, and in what ways is it different from your previous offerings?

This collection is a little more traditional than what I usually do. Of course, the Siddartha Tytler’s modern twist is always there. There are more classical motifs but used with updated embroidery techniques.

Tell us about the research you did for this collection — what were your sources, and where did it take you?

This collection, literally, was a lot of fun with its research. My team and I went to monuments, clicked pictures, and we made a beautiful mood board. We did research on the internet on fashion, jewellery, accessories, and what went on at that time. And, we literally derived motifs from the Taj Mahal, which were the most beautiful motifs you can ever see. It was a lot of fun and extensive, to be honest.

A design from ‘Mehfil-e-husn’. (Photo: PR handout)

‘Husn’ is usually associated with women, but the collection also consists of a men’s section — can your latest work be called gender-neutral then?

If you see my work for the last couple of years, you will see my collections are gender-neutral. Our women pick up our menswear, our menswear takes inspiration from our womenswear. And yes, this collection is primarily celebrating women but our menswear is also very strong.

You have had a long association with Bollywood. Who, according to you, is the most stylish celebrity at the moment?

We’ve worked with a lot of people from Bollywood and it’s always been a lot of fun. But the one person, two actually, whom I’ve always seen as the absolute fashion mavens are Rekha and Sridevi. Rekha has evolved, she is literally India’s chameleon when it comes to fashion, she’s absolutely fabulous and the last cover she did was just mind-blowing. And Sridevi had a very strong style statement and she always made whatever she wore – work.

Top 5 trends to keep an eye out for in 2023

This season will see a lot of corsetry, layering, and slitted lehengas which are easy to wear, walk in, and look very sexy. Pearls will be a primary medium this season. And finally, structural garments, a lot of three-dimensional structures without embroideries and just beautiful construction.

One fashion trend you could never wrap your head around?

That one trend would easily have to be overalls and dungarees. Yes, in college I wore them but they looked terrible, and they are just horrible, according to me.

Siddartha Tytler celebrates the aesthetics of the Mughal era in his latest collection. (Photo: PR handout)

The Indian fashion industry is extremely competitive. What must one do to stand out in the crowd?

Yes, the industry is very competitive and cutthroat, but the only way you can be different is to be true to yourself, and have your own identity. Always listen to people around you, learn to evolve but follow your gut!

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