There is a steady murmur as we walk up to the second rung of the building. On both sides of the staircase are a motley group of young men and women at their workstations. Amidst the group, as we try to locate Aparna Chandra, a lissom lady makes eye contact. “I am Aparna,” she responds to our query, her fuss-free slate grey and black ensemble blending in perfectly with her similarly attired colleagues. “I’ve always believed in easy but stylish dressing. And I only design apparel that I would wear,” quips the head clothing designer of lifestyle label Nicobar.
Back from a series of travels, Aparna is working at the completion of her next capsule collection for Nicobar, the label by now synonymous with smart, sharp silhouettes, breathable natural fabrics and refreshing simplicity. Putting her creative juices into the brand cauldron with Nicobar’s owners, Rahul Rai and Simran Lal, has reaped its rewards, she believes. “When I was manning my eponymous label, apart from the design, I had to handle everything else, the production, marketing et al. I found the other processes too much to handle, and hence, Aparna Chandra had to shut shop. But here, I only design. All my energies are in conceptualising and creating clothes that would resonate with the fashionable in the metros. This is far more enjoyable,” she elaborates.
Born and brought up in Delhi, the seeds of design were planted in Aparna from a young age. Her mother, Asha, designed clothes for children from her home workshop, using six tailors. “As early as I can remember, I was making clothes for myself after learning how to sew on a basic machine at my mother’s small tailoring shop. They were clothes that I liked wearing—simple, smart and relatable. A mantra I follow to this day.”
After graduating in fashion design from NIFT, Aparna launched her eponymous line in 1998 and garnered much acclaim for her work for the next 10 years, before closing it down. But the girl didn’t stay put. She styled several shoots and campaigns for publications, fashion labels and brands and left an indelible mark of her style on them. Somewhere in the journey, Anita Lal of Good Earth expressed an interest in working with her. While the idea sounded fun, it never took shape until four years ago when Good Earth’s sister brand, Nicobar, was born.
The brand’s latest line, called Midnight Wonderland, marks Aparna’s return to the fashion world as a standalone designer, while she continues her relationship as head designer at Nicobar. Interestingly, she has used real women for the campaign, which she styled herself. “The point is to show people that these clothes are for them. Not just for svelte and sexy models who are tailormade to walk the ramp and pose for stills.”
Her design philosophy hinges on minimalism and comfort, achieved through natural fabrics. In her lines, she often pairs loose and slouchy styles with more structured and streamlined pieces. “At Nicobar, we focus on fit, form and fabric, and make clothes that you can wear in many different ways. Our textiles and techniques come from close to home, and all our clothing has a story to tell, woven into seams, under collars, and into the little details that are often overlooked,” the designer explains.
Retailing from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Goa and Jodhpur, Aparna says that the online business platform has also bolstered prospects for Nicobar. “We have to constantly fuel the feed because there is demand. And, also keep in mind the seasons.” Like, for Midnight Wonderland, Aparna used darker hues and added shine through gold foil because it was a more festive line. “It’s not that I do not like bling, but there has to be a balance.
I wore Manish Arora for my own mehndi. And Sabyasachi for my wedding—designers who are known for their flamboyance, with ideologies that are different from mine but beautiful nonetheless. The good change that has happened over the years is that there is space for all of us. There’s Eka, Pero, Bodice… there’s also Rohit Bal and Manish Arora.”