Abba Kuldeep: A Mauritian designer taking India by storm

Abba Kuldeep is making Mauritius proud. Recently, he received the Best Designer in India Award. He also has set up his own fashion line. Abba shares his enriching journey with News On Sunday.

Since childhood, Abba Kuldeep was interested in the world of glamour and fashion. After college, he bagged a scholarship from the Indian government to attend university in India. “After my admission at Fergusson College, I privately joined International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) to achieve my dream of becoming a fashion designer, with the help and support of my parents. I have been in India for one and a half years now,” he shares. 

Till now, Abba Kuldeep has done two shows. His first show was in January under the theme Edwardian Style. He made the show stopper bridal gown. “The gown was reminiscent of the Edwardian era where there was a lot of A-line silhouettes, deep and plunging necklines, corsets, and oodles of embroidery. The gown was made in fabrics such as pure Georgette, silk tulle, Italian satin crepe and was fully hand-embroidered with traditional Indian embroideries such as Zari, Nakshi, Salma, Mukhesh (Badla) and Chikankari. It took two months of continuous work to make the outfit, which was appreciated by everyone. The fact that I was awarded Best Designer by Chandrakant Sonawne (lead designer of the film ‘Bajirao Mastani’) acted as a cherry on top of the cake,” he says.

Indian Bridal wear

Abba’s second show was in July 2016 at the Westin Hotel in Pune where he made a line of Couture Indian Bridal wear. “The collection comprising of 12 garments was titled “An Immortal Array of Maharashtra”. It highlighted the fictional story of a Kolhapur-based princess, Rajkumari Swadheenta, whose lover was murdered by her own father on the wedding dais due to caste differences. The heart-broken princess then vowed to keep on reincarnating until she is reunited with her lover. Her reincarnation was highlighted via the change in the drape of her garments, which were all made in fabrics such as pure silk, raw silk, georgette, and brocades which were weaved from Benaras. In addition to this, the garments were embellished with traditional embroideries such as Nakshi and Swarovski crystals to give it a contemporary touch.”  

Following the show, he became the proud owner of his own label “ABBA Couture” and he also started getting several film offers. Apart from this, he also designed and styled Marathi actress cum model, Pragati Ghatshile for an event in Pune. Hard worker Abba also won Best Designer for a Maharastrian Bridal show in July.

According to Abba, fashion designing is a creative field and he gets inspired from anything around him. “I am an avid lover of period movies and fairy tales in which garments are very opulent and extravagant.  Hence, owing to this, one can see the influence of these elements in my garments. For my Edwardian show, I have taken inspiration from Baroque architecture while on the other hand; I used the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Palace, Kolhapur as an inspiration for my Maharashtrian Bridal show.  Furthermore, I have also been inspired by elements (fire, water, air, earth and sky) as well as nature for my other garments, which were shot by ace photographer, Prathmesh Chhatre,” he avers.

For Abba, the world of fashion is really dynamic and new trends keep on coming every day. “In my case, I would like to bring in a glamorous Indo-Western fusion style, (which also happens to be my signature look, in the world of fashion). I would love to bring in ethnic wear coupled with western sensibilities, that is, in other words using western concepts; say for example ruffles, in the creation of glamorous and chic Indian wear!”

Abba is a very ambitious designer. “Upon reaching India, after my mini-vacation in Mauritius, I have to do some more photo shoots and styling concept shoots for my label as well for models’ portfolios. After that, I have to gear up for my next collection and start working on the costumes and styling for a Marathi movie as well as for a web YouTube series. As for my future plans, I intend to open a store in Mauritius as well as participating in fashion weeks,” he hopes.