There are very few things that tempt Goa-born and bred designer Saviojon Fernandes out of his beloved Seolim home – the news that he’s been chosen to exhibit in Paris and New York next month being one of them. So, ask him if he’s a ‘fashion hermit’? “Well, that’s me,” laughs the designer who has styled the likes of Aishwarya Rai and Tabu. “I love it here and am happy to have stayed away from the recent fashion weeks. They’re so frivolous – all you have are two themes – Bollywood and weddings, and the nonsense of who is in the front row takes away from the reality of making good clothes.” He found the recent Autumn/Winter showing pretentious, “considering we hardly have a winter,” he says disdainfully.
The new line he’s been busy with came up when Vidya Narine, organiser of the Lenewblack show, invited him to show in France. The clothes – mul, cotton and Indian prints in natural fabrics, “represent me and what I feel is right – no Bollywood nuances that you see today…I find that tacky,” Savio explains. “It’s a no-frills show and suits my temperament.”
For someone who’s known to have kinky designs, his clothes have toned down from the essence of quirk that they’ve had in the past. “Well, they’re more wearable now,” Savio admits, adding, “the core of my making clothes is easy – they have to be effortless and easy to wear.”
The thought process also gels with who Savio finds easier to work with. “It’s nice to dress foreign models,” he says, unhesitatingly. “You know, Indian models have such an attitude problem; they literally pancake themselves and are so uptight – they need to be slapped!” he exclaims.
