Flamboyant. Frisky. Feisty. Fabulous. Rohit Bal was the undoubted superstar of Indian fashion, even at a time when the nascent domestic fashion industry was struggling to make a mark. With dreams in his eyes and a resolute heart, he was determined to march to his own drummer, chart his own path, and not be one of the crowd.
The 90s were a time of great excitement for Indian fashion – and Gudda (Rohit) stood tall amongst the starry-eyed lot of newly-minted designers who stepped out of NIFT. He set out to be different, and he achieved that – both in his creative artistry as well as his lifestyle choices — some of which were scandalous. But that was a time when scandal was still a whispered affair and a somewhat attractive trait, not plastered across social media by vicious trolls. He said in an interview in 2019, “I always stuck to who I am and never did what everybody else was doing. I have a very strong and focused design philosophy, and I adhere to that. I believe anything you do from your heart and soul will always stay relevant.” Classic, elegant, and timeless is how he described his work.
Rohit Bal made a point of making an appearance at the shows of his peers and cheered the loudest – always from the sidelines and yet managing to grab the limelight. He never walked alone, constantly sporting a posse of hangers on – some of whom were friends, while others proved to be the proverbial vultures. Gudda’s flamboyance was a conscious choice – his wild parties, band of sycophants, devil-may-care attitude, and a cultivated hedonistic persona. His larger-than-life image ensured that he was always in the news and sought by all – colleagues and clients.
Open about his sexual preferences and a bit of a daredevil, Gudda did not shy away from speaking his mind – of course that was back in the days when speaking your mind was not fraught with danger. He declared that Indians had no sense of fashion or style. His explanation was that in India we have so many other things to deal with that worrying about fashion is perhaps not high on our list. He bemoaned the red tapism and lack of help from the Indian government for the fashion industry. And so, he set about creating an identity for Indian fashion the world over by using indigenous textiles and craftsmanship, motifs, and inspirations, bringing to his oeuvre an intelligent blend of history, art, culture, folklore and tradition.
Kashmir, his homeland, was closest to his heart and was the bedrock of his craftsmanship – his anarkalis, jackets, bandhgalas, prints and embroideries all drew inspiration from his roots. He had fun with design, often introducing elements such as a rabbit, long-tailed parrots, cockatoos, elephants, horses, flowers, and leaves in his designs, with the lotus and peacock being his all-time favourites – one the symbol of humility, the latter of pride – as he loved to say. Dedicated to bringing style and fun into menswear, Rohit introduced radical, shocking looks — an androgynous look with sindoor and naths for shock value, before settling down to more wearable menswear such as structured jackets, jodhpurs and sherwanis. Rohit believed that like the Japanese, we must work on our own strengths.
Sometimes the brightest flames burn the shortest, and those who channel so much passion and energy into life leave the world soonest. It is almost as if they are trying to cram a lifetime of passion into the short timeframe they have been given. A man of profound passions and remarkable intensity, Rohit Bal worked as hard as he played; he was as dedicated to his craft as he was indulgent towards his personal self. His high intensity shone from his eyes and touched every aspect of life. He believed in living life to the fullest — so what if it proved to be short?
Always elusive, unlike most of his peers, Rohit Bal trusted just his coterie, and that circle kept shrinking over the years – not because any less people loved him or admired his work, but because Gudda himself became more of a recluse and more selective about his friends than ever before.
There were fashion designers – and there was Rohit Bal. Highly intelligent, superbly talented, a voracious reader and a music lover – Rohit Bal was a multifaceted talent. Most creative geniuses have a touch of the maverick in them, and so did Rohit, sensitive and vulnerable, liberal, focused on the thrills of life, and flirting with its dangers. A true maverick, rebellion gleamed from his eyes. But so did warmth and a wealth of love. Passion sat proudly on his sleeve and coloured his life and vision. He met you invariably with a very tight and prolonged hug, which spoke of the depth of his warmth and love.
With Gudda, you could never be sitting on the fence. You either adored him and were loved back, or you just focused on his excesses and were ignored. Destiny gave this favourite child of hers a chance at his last hurrah – and Gudda’s flame burnt the brightest at his last show, Kayanaat in October, as he took his last bow a couple of weeks before he died. A master of fabric and fantasy, as Time Magazine hailed him, he will be forever remembered for his creative artistry and his intuitive understanding of fabric, craftsmanship and the tapestry of history and culture.