Dipping Into The Creative Cauldron

The multi-faceted Digvijay Singh refuses to be pigeonholed as a fashion designer, preferring instead to ‘live on the edge of uncertainty’!

What led you to a career in fashion?

DS: Actually I never chose fashion. I opted for creativity and found it in different subjects around me. I pursued a BFA (specializing in painting) from Maharaja SayajiRao University of Baroda, after which I opted for a PGDPD in Textiles from National Institute of Design. It’s not a particular discipline or the genre of creativity that interests me, it’s the freedom of expression that all creative genres offer, albeit differently. I use my hands and brains as tools to create, and not just to sketch, draw, paint or sculpt. I call myself a fashion designer, textile designer, entrepreneur, artist, performing artist, writer, poet, and cook!

While at NID I got the chance to showcase at Lakme Fashion Week in the Gen Next category. By the time I finished NID, I had showcased at several fashion weeks, and that’s how it began, I guess.

How would you describe your creative process? 

DS: I believe in expressing my thoughts through the appropriate medium. For me the process holds as much importance as the end product. The same is true for art. For me, nothing is pre-planned. Even when I’m designing for fashion weeks or while doing a collection, I change the concept and looks even though it’s near completion or the deadline is precariously close. Earlier I used to feel that achieving perfection is process driven but later I realized that it’s the way I have been taught. I am truly fortunate.

My teacher once told me, “Never be too convinced with or too attached to your work, as the passion to create something better might fade away.” 

How did you come up with your first unisex collection?