The Modern Classicist

As his eponymous label turns 10, designer Nachiket Barve takes stock and shares his plans for the future. 

- Butool Jamal

AS HE MARKS 10 YEARS IN FASHION, NACHIKET BARVE IS READY to start the next chapter of his career. It will see him evolve while retaining a firm grip on his identity. When he started his eponymous label in 1997, Barve already knew he would approach fashion with a distinct voice. “I didn’t want to make what the big couture houses were making—all lace, feathers, and fur—nor was I inspired by very ethnic, designs.” His stint in Paris, where he studied at ENSAD [École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs] and interned with Céline, taught him that clothes “had to be beautifully crafted but not look like what anybody else in the world was wearing.” On his return to India, Barve decided that the best incubation for his brand would be to teach. He spent a year at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and then launched his label with the Gen Next show at Lakmé Fashion Week 2007. That first collection had shift dresses, tunics, and separates in a palette of neutrals.

The hero was the intricate embroidery—the surface texture that elevated an outfit from ordinary to exceptional. It was simple, almost modest, and it belied the craftsmanship that went into its making. “I wanted to make something timeless, without a sense of weight or effort. The clothes would resonate with women who work but want to go for drinks or dinner in the evening and don’t have time to carry a change,” he says.