MAESTRO IN THE MAISON

Best known for reviving French fashion houses, fashion designer Ramesh Nair's approach towards design as well as his unique idea of uprooting and resetting legacies is a talent to reckon with

- Sanika Achrekar

Fashion designer Ramesh Nair is one of those artists whose work speaks for him more than he ever could - an artist that should be on every fashion enthusiast's radar. In all fairness, reviving heritage fashion houses is not everyone's cup of tea. But Nair has a distinct approach towards design, he understands the House's code, and creates an identity out of it - which is essentially what goes behind the resurrection of brands. His work is proof that the key to revival is to recognise the foundation of a Maison.

Nair, a Paris-based designer, graduated from the first batch of the National Institute of Fashion Technology in 1989. After completing his education in India, he moved to study design in Italy, and completed his masters at IFM Paris. Having spent over 20 years in Paris, Nair spent his time sharpening his skills at Y (Yohji Yamamoto's label), Christian Lacroix, and Hermès under Martin Margiela, the then creative director who eventually became his mentor. In 2010, Nair was appointed as the creative director of Moynat.

Fast forward to 2021, and Nair added another milestone to his journey - he is now the creative director of 267-year-old Parisian Joseph Duclos.

Tell us about your journey from India to Paris.

Ever since I can remember, I have been something of an iconoclast, never wanting to be like others or fit in with the crowd. I was also insatiably curious and had an innate sense of adventure. Growing up in India in the '70s and '80s and especially in a military family, we had limited choice of and limited access to material possessions. This meant that I had to experiment and customise my own clothes and accessories. School bags, shoes, tennis racquets, even school uniforms, were all fodder for my experiments. This was possibly what sowed the seeds of my interest in design, and specifically in fashion.