All Pooja Shroff likes to do when she is in Calcutta, her home town, is “be home”. Well, the Bhowanipore girl, now based in Delhi, won’t get to do that too much this time what with her autumn/winter’18 line Bandi launching at 85 Lansdowne on July 13. t2 caught up with Pooja... 

Why are you launching your collection first in Calcutta?

I am originally from Calcutta; I moved to Delhi about seven years back and I have my studio there. I retail through 26 stores across India like Aza, Ogaan and Elahi. In Calcutta, we are launching at 85 Lansdowne with Bandi. We also retail from Zenon, Vachi and Seven Arches in the city. 

Did you start your career in fashion in Calcutta?

I studied in Pune’s School of Fashion Technology for three years, then I went to Parsons New School of Design, New York. I got a chance to work with Kenneth Cole in New York as an intern. 

I came back and worked with Sabyasachi Mukherjee for a year, in 2009. In 2010, I launched my own label in Calcutta. At that point, I had a store on AJC Bose Road, near Mullick Bazar. I started with Western wear because I never thought that I would be able to do anything different from what Sabyasachi does in Indian wear. His whole sensibility was ingrained in my system. 

To sustain in the Indian market, however, doing Indian wear is very important. I blended my Indian and Western sensibilities and started my Indian contemporary line and eventually shifted to Delhi after I got married. I had to start from scratch in Delhi and it took me a year to shift my whole base there. I would travel down to Calcutta often for work. I thought it was best to retail through multi-designer stores because it is easier for me to manage. 

What is your biggest learning from Sabyasachi?

How you have to work practically in India is what I have learnt from him. How you treat your colleagues and employees… and how to make good sales.

Your design sensibility is simple… 

It’s simple and strong. It’s not necessarily ethnic.

There is a fusion feel to it…

Absolutely. It is also inspired by the destination wedding culture that is really come into India recently. It’s for the modern-day woman. 

How have you incorporated the element of a bundi in your collection?

When you think winter, the first thing that comes to mind are jackets. Then I thought why not explore the Indian waistcoat in different forms. So each piece in my collection has a hint of the jacket... interesting styles of jackets. We have done a few maxis along with sumo pants.

This season, we have tried a lot of grey and charcoal grey is my personal favourite from the collection.

Saionee Chakraborty