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Navy
Hand-knit Wool Sweater
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At 21, he's become the
hottest designer in New York. In fashion circles, he is something of a phenomenon. The
rave reviews and publicity are rare for someone with an Indian background. So what's all
the buzz about? This special fashion spread shows why
Born in New York to strict, conservative Indian parents, Dalal has exotic looks to go with his exotic, Asian-influenced designs. Which explains why he was chosen by People magazine in their annual listing of The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World, 1998, equating him with teenage heartthrobs like Leonardo Di Caprio. It's an honour he describes as "a little weird''. But it is as fashion's new wunderkind that Dalal is making waves and earning rave reviews. Even the staid Fortune magazine featured him in their September issue. His Fall Collection (see following pages) unveiled last month, has been snapped up by Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's, some of New York's most prestigious menswear stores. He also sells in select designer stores in UK and Japan. Dalal's wholesale fashion sales this year are estimated to be around $3,50,000 and predictions are it will touch $1 million in 1999. Small by industry standards but highly impressive for someone who's just got started. With dark hair, slim build and emerald-green eyes, Dalal could be easily mistaken for one of the models of his menswear collection. He may also be the only designer who is younger than the models he uses. As Fortune said of his dazzling emergence: "New talent is rare in the menswear field. And there's a rare buzz about Dalal. What makes him so interesting is that he is one of the few designers with a chance of inheriting the menswear mantle from Ralph Lauren.'' Tom Kalenderian, who buys menswear for Barneys, feels that Dalal's designs have equal appeal for downtown hipsters and uptown bankers. "He's totally fresh,'' says Kalenderian. "I wish there were more designers like him out there.'' Dalal's clothes are expensive (suits start at $1,000), modern and flamboyant. Which is why rock stars like Duran Duran and Bjork love his clothes. Dalal describes his style as a "mix of modernism and classicism''. One example, his Fall Collection featured jeans made from cashmere. The collection also featured the use of colourful paisley fabric, avoided by most other designers because of the difficulty in matching the seams. Dalal's parents, Mahesh and Loma, wanted him to finish college at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied for three years before plunging into the fashion business. In fact, his start-up capital came from the money set aside for his fourth year at University, where he excelled in fencing. But his real interest in fashion design came from accompanying his mother at age 10 on trips to garment factories in Asia. His mother was a consultant in garment production and Dalal caught the bug. The expertise he picked up proved invaluable. "For me, being in the factory is fascinating,'' he says. "I still love going to the factory to see how things are being made.'' His parents are now very much involved in his work. Father Mahesh, an accountant, manages his finances. His mother scouts global production facilities and Dalal's studio is in their Manhattan apartment. In person, he is reserved, shy and modest. About his being the focus of so much attention at such an early age, he says: "How seriously can you take it? This is cool. It's amazing. If it lasts, it would be even more amazing.'' Dalal is determined that he will be known by the cut of his clothes and not the glare of publicity. His ideas, in fact, grow out of the fabrics he uses. "Each fabric has its own dynamics. It's really a case of trial and error.'' Fashion critics have praised Dalal for his choice of beautiful fabrics and the mix of patterns in his menswear lines. But he has no illusions about the fickleness of fame. "I'm as savvy as anyone else,'' he told Associated Press. "It's going to go on for a little while, and then I'll get glasses, get all wrinkly and no one will want to see me anymore.'' Somehow, nobody in the fashion business quite believes that. © Living Media India Ltd |
Clothes maketh the man.
they have certainly made Sandy Dalal. At 21, the New York-based Dalal is the youngest
designer to win the prestigious Perry Ellis Award for menswear from the Council of Fashion
Designers of America. This, astonishingly, after just one formal show earlier this year.
His sudden stardom has been nothing short of meteoric. "Nobody knew anything about
him,'' says Fern Mallis, executive director of the Council. "There was this buzz
about his new show. And afterwards, people said `his clothes were really fun. And he's
cute as well.' Good looks never hurt in this business.''