Rohit Bal will be the Lakme Grand Finale designer of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2012, scheduled to be held in Mumbai in March. t2 caught up with Indian fashion’s original showman for a quick chat on loving luxury and being forever fabulous!

Vijender Singh

Anamika Khanna included your creations on her luxury list for t2’s fifth birthday issue recently…

How sweet of her! I’m really flattered. I love luxury. It’s something I personally relate to, though I am a simple person. I love the idea of luxury. I love luxury around me. I love beautiful things. I have expensive taste (laughs) and although most of the time I can’t afford to buy what I like, that doesn’t matter. I don’t hoard money. And I am happy with what I have…

It’s been more than two decades…. Do you still feel that flutter in your stomach before a show?

Yes, I do. It’s the moment just before the show starts, the time when the first girl walks out. If I wouldn’t feel nervous before a show, I wouldn’t be human. I feel the flutter through the show but at that time there’s nothing you can do. You have done all you could before, right till the fittings and rehearsal, so at that point all you can do is watch. Anything can happen during a show… say a girl trips! But these things you can’t control. I like to watch my shows properly from the front and not from backstage. I like to see what looks right, what went wrong. I like to see the reactions. I intensely watch my shows, for me it’s a learning process. It’s serious study.

Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor

And that’s the time those famous sunglasses come off…

Ha, ha! Yes, because otherwise I can’t see!

What is the Grand Finale collection going to be like?

You know I never talk about my collection before the show…

Aarjun Rampal and Mehr Jessia

How do you connect to Lakme’s Fast And Fabulous tagline?

Well, fabulous is easy. I am fabulous (laughs out loud)! And fast, well, I did lead life in the fast lane and I have also suffered because of it. I have had a rebound. I have bounced back, so now only my thoughts are fast. My work is laborious. In fact, the faster my thought, the longer it takes to make it!

John Abraham

In any typical celebrity style blog, there is only a handful of pages under Rohit Bal as opposed to other designers. Does it bother you?

Not at all! I think this is the sign of ultimate success. I don’t want to be a part of the bandwagon. My garments have to have integrity, a sense of style and, above all, uniqueness. And of course, everything has to be fantastic!

Do you get annoyed when people don’t wear your garments the way they are intended to?

Though people are free to interpret their garment in any way they want, style is all about individuality. The good thing about my clothes is that because they are so elaborate, there’s little room for mix and match. Most people wear it the way it’s meant to be. I am happy that my outfits are tamper-proof!