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Clothing the peacock
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Hemant Sagar, the Indian half of Paris's formidably haute label Lecoanet Hemant, tells SANDHYA MENDONCA that he chose Bangalore over Silicon Valley to launch his men's wear line
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PHOTO: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.
MODEL MUSE Iggy, who models exclusively for Hemant Sagar, flashes his technicolour suit
Lecoanet Hemant is right up there in the rarefied space of Parisian haute couture. Yet there is no snobbishness or arrogance in Hemant Sagar, the Indian element in this fashion label. Hemant, whose collection was the grand finale on the opening night of the Castle India Men's Fashion Fair (October 11 to 14), is endearingly informal and has boundless enthusiasm. "Do you know sandia in Spanish means watermelon?" he chuckles, in a reference to my name. "We have dressed up our model for you. You know Iggy? He is a DJ from Delhi and he is the face of my label at the show. He is modelling for me exclusively."
Having dressed only women for 25 years — ranging from Texan millionaires, Arab princesses, French aristocrats, international film stars and even the Barbie Doll, Hemant has conferred a rare honour on Bangalore by making it the launch pad of his first ever men's wear line, which he calls the "Secret Life of LH".
He began by making clothes for himself after moving to Delhi five years ago and decided that now is the right time to launch the collection. How to launch was an important question as "fashion is all about doing things differently". "I had first thought of showing it in the Silicon Valley, California, but Bangalore suddenly made sense. You see, I am not interested in catering to India's present; tomorrow is much more fascinating to me."
Iggy's suit has a fabulous fit and is creaseless. The fabric feels like canvas. Could it be? Hemant and his assistants burst into laughter. It is indeed canvas and incredibly enough, it is a banner that he swiped from a cracker shop! Other garments include a suede coat printed to look like snakeskin, a hand-dyed poplin cowboy shirt and shirts that say `Heera Munna' and `Laddoo Ram', which are both his childhood names.
His ideal men are Cary Grant and George Clooney who symbolise rugged elegance and he would love to see Indian men "who are peacocks really" wear his fantasy-inducing clothes. "Indian men's fashion still caters to the façade of patriarchal men. People think dressing differently is disrespectful. You don't judge a book by its cover, so don't judge a man by his clothes... That is why I chose Iggy as my model — he is handsome and intelligent. He is successful and has a mind of his own. My clothes have a point of view; they are not fussy but elegant."
We are not sure which man in our desi Silicon Plateau would strut around in his vibrant clothes — "I would sell if there is a buyer," he chips in. He will introduce the clothes in Lecoanet Hemant's prêt service in Paris and will even show parts of it at the Shanghai Fashion Week with their women's wear.
Lecoanet Hemant extends its fertile imagination to being socially responsible. It supports Conserve, an NGO that supports 300 families in Delhi. Lecoanet buys cleaned and disinfected recycled plastic sheets from Conserve out of which it makes monsoon coats. These coats are soon going to be sold worldwide and would be door-delivered within three days of placing an order anywhere in the world. Fifteen per cent of the profit goes back to the NGO.
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From small beginnings
Born to a German mother and an Indian father, Hemant Sagar spent his childhood in Delhi before studying design and dressmaking in Germany. He worked in the ready-to-wear business with a major German firm before moving to Paris to learn fashion design. He met Lecoanet in 1978. Their shared feelings, interests, and passions first led to the establishment of a tiny workshop on the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honore. This grew into a salon, then into a boutique, and finally to a full-fledged fashion house.
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