Nitya Birla Takes Us Inside Her Dreamy New Studio

From dressing some of Bollywood’s A-listers to keeping up with Instagram, Nitya Birla manages to do it all. We had the privilege to spend an afternoon with her and were lucky enough to have her personally walk us through the brand new store located in the heart of New Delhi.

While this space is only a hop, skip and jump away from her old studio, it has an entirely fresh appeal. For the outsides she’s gone for a classic look which transports you to the streets of Central London. Not too snooty, but far from casual. The only difference is that instead of walking on the cobbled streets of Convent Garden, you’d be making your way through the lanes of Shahpur Jat.

The insides of the store carries through a contemporary version of a typical European design. Designed by Sanuj Birla, it’s a mash of the old with the new. Elements like vintage lamps, an old sewing machine table and a rusted birdcage, stand stark against the pop wall art. With an assortment of these handpicked elements, the store impresses with its detailing.

This time around, they had a larger area to work with. So they decided to add a private seating area; a wise choice since most clients spend hours (if not days) mulling over their purchases.

A graduate from NIFT Delhi, Nitya has already spent 7 years in the industry and she’s clearly settled in well. Her label ‘Nitya Bajaj’ has helped her steadily become the go-to designer for evening gowns and a red carpet favourite for celebrities. Over the course of the afternoon we spoke about the Indian fashion industry, editorial styling and about how fashion is going online.

We can easily say that her collections are exactly like her personality – fun and colourful. It’s clear that her instincts are the driving force that have helped her create the remarkable collections we’ve seen from her.

Fashion trends to change way too quickly and it seems like Nitya picks them up and gives them her own twist. She did just that with the recently hit range of midi-skirts in pop colours. Just as she does each year, she will be unveiling her next collection at the Pune Fashion Week. She gave us a preview and all we can say is that ‘peachy keen’ seems to be the flavour of the season.

One of the key topics we touched on was how online fashion scene in our country is thriving, overcoming challenges and slowly making its mark on the global industry. Like everyone else, Nitya is attempting to keep up with this new world. She’s already selling through Pernia’s Pop Up Shop, the coveted e-tailing giant which has collections from almost all established Indian designers. Another popular portal, Love for Pretty Things, carries a range of her accessories.

People who appreciate well-tailored, original designs will always find their way to my store.

Nitya Birla

As much as we love the online world, it has created quite a havoc. For Birla, a major cause of worry is that the hi-res images available online supply details of precious designs to set-ups which then copy and sell them at less than half the price. However, she concluded that the ones who appreciate well-tailored, original designs will always find their way to her store.

Towards the end, we discussed about what she’d like her clientele to be adorned in for the fast-approaching wedding season. Nitya was quick to point out that she loves how gowns, a classic western concept, have reinvented themselves as a part of the Indian closet. According to her, sequined, embellished well-cut gowns is what women should be dolled up in once the wedding madness begins.

There is a certain notion you carry about fashion designers, and well Nitya Birla defies them all. It was a pleasure to get to know her and get an insight into her world. After the opening of the fancy studio, an exclusive online store might just be the next big thing on the cards for her.