Sharbari Datta was a legend in the fashion world. She entered the arena with a specific purpose in mind—to restore the beauty of ethnic menswear to its former glory. The influence of two hundred years of British rule permeated into all parts of our life and ensured that ethnic menswear had all but disappeared from men’s wardrobes, making rare appearances only during weddings and other festive occasions. And even then…what drab, lifeless colours. Entered Sharbari Datta. The visionary. The revivalist. The game-changer. She had noticed the gaping hole in the ethnic wear choices for men and decided to step in and fill the gap. With her own unique touches and amazing colour palettes, she catapulted the various elements of men’s ethnic wear to the forefront. She also gave ‘kantha’, the traditional handicraft of rural Bengal, a glamorous facelift. She incorporated the techniques of this simple craft and elevated it to a veritable art form.
This book, replete with interviews and testimonials by Sharbari’s celebrity clientele, and amply illustrated with a treasure trove of photographs, tries to capture the essence of Sharbari’s designscape.