SABYASACHI RED

TRENDSETTING INDIAN FASHION designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee started the year with the release of his latest bridal heritage collection — first unveiled on his Instagram feed (naturally), with a caption that simply reads, “Red is not seasonal, it is iconic.”

Sabyasachi has always included red in his bridal collections. What has made this red collection stand apart is his use of alta, a red lac dye, in his campaign pictures. Traditionally, alta adorns the hands and feet of brides to symbolise purity and prosperity. The decorative element can be traced back to the rituals surrounding the solah shringar (16 steps of bridal adornment), it is mentioned in ancient vedic texts but has been long forgotten by most modern brides.

The designer recently explained to Indian Vogue in his own words: “The Sabyasachi Red is an amalgamation of a visual identity. It draws from the colours and textures of vermillion, the stain of alta, the potency of the red-bordered ivory Bengali sari and my many memories of Bengali brides in striking red Banarasi saris. Alta in this campaign, is a signifier of sorts, to establish a return to a certain and specific organic beauty. The sort of beauty that’s part of our cultural consciousness and not a thing of the moment.”