Rohit Bal’s showstopper Arjun Rampal in a rose-embossed velvet bandhgala jacket

Rohit Bal brought the curtains down on Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2015 in Delhi with a spectacular finale on Sunday. With Quli Khan’s Tomb at the Qutub Minar as his ramp, Gudda (that’s what the fash frat call him) created magic as he unveiled Gulbagh, a collection inspired by the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir, a constant source of inspiration for him.

Literally meaning garden of flowers, Gulbagh saw all kinds of blooms — peony to chrysanthemum, the trellis of wild roses and the lotus — splashed luxuriously on voluminous garments.

Rohit’s love affair with ivory took centre stage and formed the canvas on which blooms in deep jewel tones and metallic gold were embroidered. The palette moved to darker hues like navy and black in snatches, but soon meandered back to ivory. While the look for women was subdued and serene, Rohit dressed his men in rich Indian hues.

Fine fabrics like mul, voile and chanderi lent a dreaminess to the line, while Benarasi brocade, matka silk and velvet glossed it up. Hand-block printing with vegetable dye, his trademark gold-leaf embossing, quilting and tilla, hand embroidery in resham all combined to create the rich surface ornamentation.

The ambience recreated a Mughal court through flowers and Sufi music. The models, with red roses in their hair, walked with Shubha Mudgal’s voice resonating through the historic monument.

Rohit Bal takes a bow after the WIFW finale

The grand finale over with, Rohit Bal wanted to be “blissfully blank” and enjoy his solitude. Before that t2 caught up with him for a quick chat on the phone.

Congratulations on that spectacular finale. So Qutub Minar was whose idea?

Of course my idea, I usually don’t do much on other people’s ideas (laughs). The intention was to do something grand, yet make it very Indian, hence Qutub Minar, which is a heritage site and such a historic monument. Something like this has never been done and everyone was overwhelmed. I think it’s going to open up avenues for many other Indian designers to do shows at our own heritage sites. We have such brilliant heritage sites yet those are mostly closed to us designers. There’s such a lot of issues about permissions, ministries are involved....

Your collection Gulbagh draws inspiration from Kashmir. Kashmir has been a recurring influence on your work.

I am from Kashmir, I was born and brought up there. Growing up in Kashmir, the natural beauty of the place as well as the beauty of the art and craft helped me grow aesthetically, as a designer. So Kashmir will always be a part of everything I do. This collection Gulbagh celebrates the glory of the beauty of the Mughal Gardens in Kashmir. I dedicate this collection to the karigars and artisans of Kashmir who have suffered so terribly in the past one month in the floods; many have lost their livelihood. This collection is an ode to them.

Any plans of showing in Calcutta in the near future?

In fact, we might be doing a show in Calcutta in November. I want to bring the finale collection. I have asked the organisers to find me a spectacular heritage site for the show… and there are so many in Calcutta. It’s a dream to do a show in the beautiful Marble Palace.

Any other project you’re working on?

I am working on a couple of very big projects and now is the middle of the season for us, so there’s lots of promotions coming up. But right now I would like to give myself two more days off… the finale was a very exhausting experience and I need a break. Yesterday whole day I spent in solitude. I will be blissfully blank now.