Trailblazing Trendsetter from Calcutta Ayushman ‘Bobo’ Mitra

Speaking to Bobo about his career, fashion and his motivation was a breath of fresh air. His warm personality is much like his hometown Calcutta which welcomes everyone with a loving embrace. What’s more, Bobo Calcutta's designs are inscribed in an artwork first. The prints are developed from the paintings. Then it goes into the embroidery process, which is done by hand. And finally an exclusive, never to be reproduced piece of exquisite fashion is born.

by Karishma Julka

Bobo insists he is an artist first, and a fashion designer second. His love for art and everything artful originates from his grandfather’s career as a painter. From a very young age, Bobo started identifying his passion and, it was clearly in the studio with his dada (grandpa). Nostalgically, there still hangs a framed artwork made by young Bobo circa 1996 in his dada’s house, as a memory of where it all began.

“He used to hold my hand and draw on the canvas. I've got his zest for art and his genes because I've done exactly what he was doing then. Art has always been my thing,” he says.

Today, his fashion brand Bobo Calcutta caters to the fashion-conscious who want to stand out and let their clothes speak for themselves. Exclusivity is Bobo Calcutta’s bedrock as they ensure all their pieces from jackets to dresses are unique and unparalleled.

Bollywood and Freedom

Bobo is an ardent lover of all things artsy. He studied cinema and set design before eventually finding his calling in fashion. A Bollywood enthusiast at heart, Bobo couldn’t stay away from the glamour and spotlight. “Bollywood is a great inspiration for a lot of things. I like the drama.” His exuberance shines brightest in his work and that is how he sets his brand apart. “So all the inspiration from India and then being in Soho and the queerness, everything felt like a big bang explosion. And then Bobo Calcutta, the brand was born.”

Joy and Calcutta

Joy and bloom are the emotions that define Bobo’s work. His poetry, songs, and best-selling clothes, all have this underlying theme. In a world that is grappling with constant despair and sadness, his unequivocal warmth and zest for life are inspiring.

“With my work, you will always see that joy coming out, with the flush of colour and the flowers. So my journey is an amalgamation, and then it exploded into fashion and the art I do.”

Quite naturally, the conversation segued into Calcutta and how the beautiful city factored into his work. “I don't reside in Calcutta, but Calcutta resides inside me. So my soul is Calcutta.” Not just his Bengali heritage, but also his environment and the motifs he grew up with played a huge role in shaping his perspective on art and fashion. “Everything from the large eyes of the goddess Maa Durga to the chaos, to the dark and the drama, to Bengali cinema, to the great Satyajit Ray. The chaos that you see in the colours, the chaos that you see in the lines, the large eyes, the faces. So Calcutta, the liberal city, embraces every idea beautifully.”

From mega Bollywood stars like Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai to famous musicians like Prateek Kuhad and Shilpa Rao, Bobo has created individual designs to style their unique personalities.

Art of Fashion

In an intensely competitive industry such as fashion, Bobo doesn’t give two hoots about conforming or hopping on the trendy bandwagon. Rather, he carves his path and revels in the beauty that he creates. “Bobo Calcutta as a brand does not mass produce. We hardly sell off the rack. We create one piece, which is just one that you would have. It is like collecting art. There is no duplicate of a single Bobo Calcutta garment. Everything is hand done. Everything is developed from scratch.”

Bobo Calcutta's designs are inscribed in an artwork first. The prints are developed from the paintings. Then it goes into the embroidery process, which is done by hand.

Crafting each design intricately before producing the actual garment while keeping every artwork unique is a massive undertaking. Bobo makes it seem like a breeze, and it must be so for a person who apparently does not experience creative block. “It is about the art that we are trying to centre ourselves around. It is about the emotion of that moment, the romance of that season.”

Celebrities Adorn Bobo’s Masterpieces

About four years ago, the fanboy in Bobo woke up from a dream to find Deepika Padukone requesting one of his designs. With no PR team or advertising, Bobo Calcutta reached Padukone’s Instagram feed organically. She loved the designs, and the rest is history.

From then on, a slew of celebrities have requested and flaunted Bobo’s masterpieces at spotlight events such as Cannes where Aishwarya Rai styled herself in an original Bobo jacket. From mega Bollywood stars to great musicians like Prateek Kuhad and Shilpa Rao, Bobo has created individual designs to style their unique personalities.

We also busted a myth that Bobo never repeats his customers. “If you already have a heavy completely embroidered garment, why would you want to have a second Bobo? Instead, I advise them to just buy things which are a little more versatile and do not sit in the cupboard for all their life. So that's something we work upon,” Bobo adds.

Bobo’s Future Collaborations

For a brand as fun and hip as Bobo Calcutta, the pleasure of the work should never cease. To keep things interesting, Bobo prefers to collaborate with upscale brands to create pieces the world has never seen before.

“Right now, we are working on two very cool collaborations. One is with the Bombay Shirt Company. So there's a painting of mine, which is a love letter to Bombay from Calcutta and we have developed prints from that painting.”

“And for the festive season, there's a collaboration coming with Seva Candles, a luxury candle brand. I have done the covers of these massive, beautiful artisan candles that they make. And a percentage of every sale is going to go to cataract operation patients in Maharashtra, while a percentage of my profits are going to an animal shelter in Calcutta.”

This gives the artist a broader stage to display his work and do something meaningful with fashion. v