The young fashionista

Santhosh Kumar is a young designer and he has been termed as one of the brightest stars in the upcoming southern fashion industry. To Santhosh, fashion is a medium, which expresses moods, emotions, ideas and himself. His collections have a consummate command on trends, styles and innovation. Colour, craft and comfort are his forte; his style speaks of confidence, subtlety and an inherited class with an edgy statement.

In 2012 ,he established his own flagship store under the label ‘Santhosh Kumar’. His range includes westerns, wedding casuals, club wear and resort wear. He specialises in men’s wear and exclusively works with the Indo-western and ethnic wear for both men and women. Vishnu Reddy and Upen Reddy were showstoppers for his collection that he showcased at the bridal week.

Excerpts:

Tell us about your collection at the show?
For the recent collection I used raw silk, silk, Mul and cottons; because as an Indian I always want to use Indian textiles. Silk is like national fabric and cotton is also widely used in India. I wanted to help the handloom artisans and that’s why I chose cotton and silk as blends.

What your inspiration behind your collection?
It’s a mix of bridal fusion so I can say its non-explainable feelings that inspired me. I always love my first collection and whenever I do any fashion week I at least use one piece of my first collection.

Why did you primarily choose men’s wear?
When it comes to men - rather than designs we focus on comfort. That’s why I chose and started my career as men’s wear designer. When it comes to my strength, I can say that my quality and fittings are the best.

When was your big break?
I did a couple of movies rather than full movies. I did designs for songs. I did more than 400 advertisements as a designer and I can say my first big break was Chennai Fashion Week. I shared stage with Ritu Kumar. I used to read about her when I was a student and I was so happy that I was on the same platform along with her.

By Heena Mishra​