Career
During the summer of 1999, Sabyasachi Mukerjee graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology. Four months later, he started his eponymous brand which began with a workforce of three people. In 2001, he won the Femina British Council's Most Outstanding Young Designer of India Award,[5] which took him to London for an internship with Georgina von Etzdorf, an eclectic designer based in Salisbury. Returning home with ideas, Sabyasachi started retailing at all major stores in India. In 2002, Sabyasachi Mukerjee participated at India Fashion Week, which got positive feedback from the press. During the spring of 2003, he made his first international runway, with the "Grand Winner Award" at the Mercedes-Benz New Asia Fashion week in Singapore, which paved his way to a workshop in Paris by Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaia. In his collection "Kora" at the Lakme Fashion Week 2003, he used unbleached and hand woven fabrics with Kantha and other hand embroideries.
In 2004, Sabyasachi presented his collection "The Frog Princess" during the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week and Miami Fashion Week.[6] His showing in Browns earned him a retail place at a tiny London store voted by Vogue as the best shopping destination in the world.
In 2005, Sabyasachi presented the spring-summer collection "The Nair Sisters", inspired by hand block printing, embroideries, bagru prints, and the extensive use of cotton and other hand woven fabrics. The collection was sold at Browns and Selfridges in London. He was requested to showcase his collections at the Oxford University annual black tie charity dinner fashion show. In 2006, Sabyasachi's debut Spring Summer collection’07 at New York Fashion Week earned him critical acclaim and his label started selling worldwide. The essence of this collection was based on folklore, glamour, simplicity, modern architecture, and intricate detailing. There was a marked influence on paintings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries like Brueghel, Claude Monet, and others. He used dark jewelled colours with muted shades accentuated with subtle texturing and indigenous embroidery. He is the only Indian designer to be a part of all three leading fashion weeks: New York, Milan and London. Sabyasachi believes that the unique positioning of Indian designers is due to his homeland's rich history and culture. He believes that Indian designers bring a flavour to the west that is no longer perceived as only exotic, but also a rich blend of individuality and sensitivity.
In 2007, Sabyasachi participated at the New York Fashion Week and at the London Fashion Weeks plus Bridal Asia 2007, Lakme Fashion Week and the Vogue launch event in India. His "Sanctuary" collection showcased at Lakme Fashion Week Fall Winter 08 received positive reviews from the fashion editor of the New York Times, Suzy Menkes.[7]
Sabyasachi closed the third edition of PCJ Delhi Couture Week (8–12 August 2012) with his "New Moon" collection, inspired by the flavours of five cities: the world-straitjacket discipline of New York, the nostalgia of the British Raj in Kolkata, the subversive decadence of Berlin, the romanticism of Paris, and bohemian flair of Barcelona. Bollywood star Sridevi was the showstopper and walked the ramp for the designer in a sari.[8][9] Sabyasachi showcased this collection in UAE as well.[10] Sabyasachi launched in 2008 a line of jewellery exclusively designed by himself, in association with the GAJA brand. The collection was showcased at the Vogue Wedding Show in 2016.[11] He launched his exclusive menswear collection featuring sherwanis, kurtas, and headgear at the Lakme Fashion Week Spring Summer 09 Grand Finale show. He also started a kids wear line under the label Chota Sabhya.
In 2012, Sabyasachi styled a calendar for which Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia dressed up as famous painter Frida Kahlo,[12] who has been Sabyasachi's inspiration for the Grand Finale at WIFW Autumn-Winter 2011. The models walked the ramp wearing Frida Kahlo-esque rose headbands and wire-rimmed glasses.[13]
Sabyasachi Mukherjee's Autumn Winter 2015 collection at Amazon India Couture Week (AICW) was a collaboration with French luxury footwear and fashion designer Christian Louboutin.[14][15] 80 pairs of shoes, both for men and women, all embroidered with Sabyasachi's embroidery and embellished with hand-placed sequins, were created for the show. Louboutin also modified his signature Victoria heel for the collection, to be embroidered with Sabyasachi's embroidery using acid-dyed burnt zardozi and vintage Parsi gara.[16] Sabyasachi has exclusively collaborated with Bergdorf Goodman for handcrafted pieces of fine and bohemian jewelery during January to March 2020.[17] His estate in Alipore Calcutta was partly inspired from works of Bijoy Jain and Pierre Cardin.
In 2025, Sabyasachi designed the wardrobe of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan at the Met Gala in Manhattan. The outfit won rave reviews from fans for modelling a king-like outfit, including a sceptre crowned by an emblematic tiger's head, custom jewellery displaying "SRK", and a larger pendulum displaying "K", all of which, as Sabyasachi explained, were intended to empower Shah Rukh Khan to express himself personally and powerfully. Sabyasachi himself walked the Met Gala carpet during the ceremony.
