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.