Rashmi Rekha Das, OP
Fashion designer-cum-entrepreneur Nikita Nayak, whose collection includes prêt and Indo-Western custom-made designs, wants to give the fashion industry a fillip by bringing back lost crafts, textiles and weaves and providing financial impetus to weaver communities
Since her childhood, Nikita Nayak knew that she wanted to be a part of the world of fashion. Soon, it became her little dream. But there was a hitch. Her parents didn’t want her to be a fashion designer. For them, a career in fashion was for the fickle minded and was not sustainable. But Nikita, who wanted to live her own life,worked to realise her dream. She has now successfully carved out a niche for herself in the world of fashion as a fashion designer-cum-entrepreneur. Recently, she showcased her collection at the three-day fashion extravaganza, Delhi Times Fashion Week, along with some of the top Indian fashion designers. In a conversation, Nikita gets candid about her journey in the world of fashion.
Born to conservative parents, Nikita spent her childhood at Koida in Sundargarh district where people were unaware of the fashion industry. “I completed my schooling at an Oriya medium school at Koida,a backward village. Even as a child, I loved to paint. When I was six, my uncle took me to Raghurajpur, a heritage crafts village in Puri district known for Pattachitra, an art form which dates back to 5 BC. I was so impressed by this art form that I made up my mind to learn it and try a fusion of Pattachitra with contemporary fashion trends to come up with something different.”
Determined to make a career in the fashion industry, Nikita took admission in the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar without telling her parents. “Whenever I expressed my desire to join the fashion industry, my parents’ instant reply was no. When the time came to pick a career, I had no choice but to pursue something that my family would approve of. I pursued BBA in KIIT because my father wanted me to join the family business as I am the only child of my parents. I then completed MBA with flying colours. After that, I secretly took admission in NIFT to pursue the one year course in Fashion Manufacturing Management. I used my pocket money to pay the tuition fee during admission. However, when the time came to submit tuition fees for the second semester — this was six months after admission — I could not keep my secret anymore. Though my parents were upset when they came to know that I had joined NIFT, they did not force me to quit the course. While continuing my diploma, I decided to launch a start-up.”
Finally, Nikita had her own boutique ‘Nikita Couture.’ “My creativity and passion for designing helped me get into the business of making people look good. My expertise in designing is more towards prêt and Indo-Western custom-made couture designs. I would describe my style as very elegant, chic and modern. I always try to create a subtle blend of classy and edgy styles in my work. My collection comprises pret wear dresses and customised couture based gowns, visual asymmetry dresses, peplum tunics, cloaks and capes along with Indo-Western styled dresses and many more blends based on a particular design or style. My designs are unique and my zeal and passion for design are evident in every piece. It has been over a year since I launched this label and I am glad that I took the plunge. Though financing my start-up was not difficult as my father supported me financially, being an only child I did not have any siblings to lend me moral support. My friends were supportive, of course. But what hurts me most is that no one from my family appreciated my creativity.”
Nikita keenly follows the work of top Indian designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani and Anita Dongre.“My favourite is Rourkela-born Bibhu Mohapatra,” she says. “He is truly an inspiration for me because he has dressed some of the most influential women including former US First Lady Michelle Obama and Hollywood stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Hillary Swank. Besides, I am really inspired by the weavers and masters who traditionally play an important role in the sector but are rarely recognised.”
Nikita has many plans for the future. She says, “India has a rich heritage of handloom weaving that is unique and the largest of its kind in the world. But the handloom industry is dying due to lack of support. I am a contemporary designer and would like to do a fusion of handloom and modern fabrics. I want to give a fillip to the fashion industry by reviving lost crafts, textiles and weaves, and providing financial impetus to entire communities engaged in the process of creating beautiful fabrics. Our rich traditional textiles like ikat, bomkai, patta and tussar are not being well marketed outside the state. I would like to make these textiles famous worldwide through my designs. I want to create a fashion designers’ hub in Bhubaneswar too.”
Nikita’s creations were much appreciated at the Delhi Times Fashion Week. She says, “I showcased my new line of Indo-western wear. My collection was centred round Orissa’s traditions and the theme was based on the famous Oriya song Rangabati. The show was conceptualised by fashion consultant Swagat Ranjan. The fashion week brought the best designers and retailers of fashion and lifestyle brands together on the same platform wherein both designers and retailers showcased their collections. I was very nervous as it was my first show and I was representing Orissa as a sole designer. The event was packed with senior and well-known designers and I was probably the youngest there. However, everyone involved in the extravaganza supported me and appreciated my collection. They liked my Rangabati theme. It was a well-organised show.”