Her personal style is bohemian and chic but while while designing for various projects her sole focus is on the individual style of the character. Designer Amriita Mordani talks about her upcoming film, design influences and personal brand ASAP.

Amriita Mordani

Amriita Mordani

You’ve studied Fashion at S.N.D.T. Tell us some of the key skills that you learnt there and continue to follow till date?

My inclination towards fashion began at a young age so I decided to move to Mumbai to pursue a degree in fashion from S.N.D.T. We learnt a lot of things but one that helped me the most was pattern making as it’s one of the core subjects in the study of fashion. I still apply the techniques that I learnt during my college days.

What is the kind of influence that your birthplace (Shillong) and the North Eastern region have on your work?

Northeast is a place which is steeped in ancient culture yet extremely modern in its outlook to fashion. The seven northeastern states are together a myriad mix of ethnicity, fashion and culture. There is a strong influence of rock and folk music that extends to fashion. Growing up there did influence my work style as each state has their own set of cultures, textiles, patterns and drapes. Each of them are unique in its own way.

Your personal style sense is very bohemian and chic. Do your professional projects have traces of your personal style as well?

Yes my personal sense of style is bohemian and chic. Well, I’d ideally love to bring that in my work but styling is something that is entirely character oriented. With every project, come different characters, different elements and different personalities that demand an individual kind of styling to define them.

How would you describe the experience you gathered working with designer Niharika Khan?

Working with Niharika Khan was a great learning experience. No better person to learn the tricks and trade of the industry than from her! As a mentor, she is someone who gives you enough creative breathing space to experiment which is very motivating and encouraging. Also, working with NK was my first job and I learnt about various key elements like referencing, sourcing and how to maintain continuity in shots.

As a stylist, which are your favorite markets/brands to source fabrics and accessories?

As a stylist, one must be versatile in their sourcing- be it street shopping from Hill Road or Colaba Causeway to shopping from premier brands- if the character demands it. My personal favorites to source from would be Zara, Diesel, Asos, H&M, Forever 21, Aldo, Steve Madden and so on.

You’ve styled for ads as well as films. What are the key differences in the approach to styling for these mediums?

When it comes to styling there isn’t any difference, both are equally demanding and tedious and the approach to styling remains the same. The only thing that sets them apart is the time-span and number of changes and costumes required.

Tell us about your upcoming film Direct Ishq. Since it is a romantic comedy set in UP, what is the kind of style that we can expect to see?

The character Dolly (played by Nidhi Subbaiah) is based in UP but her thinking and approach is very modern and independent. There is a strong influence of music in her life, which reflects, in her personal style and dressing.

What are the kind of references you worked with for the film?

My referencing for Direct Ishq revolved around a lot of rock stars- tracing their look and sense of style. Be it Indian bands or international rock bands, there were a lot of interesting elements that I got while looking them up and integrated various elements from each into my look for Nidhi. Her style revolves around boots, denims, leather jackets, deeper tones of the colour palette, leather bands, metal rings and aviators to complete the rock chic look.

What do you bear in mind while styling celebs? Who according to you has the best style sense amongst them and why?

While styling celebs I try to keep their personal sense of style intact, another key factor would be their body type and their skin tone as that determines the palette that will accentuate their features.

Kananga Ranaut- she’s edgy, she’s bold, she’s off beat and when required she’s girly too! She can carry off almost any outfit and that too with élan. I don’t think any other actress is that versatile with her style as her.

You’re also the founder of ASAP, a brand that designs leather jackets. How did this label come into being and why is the focus dominantly on the North Eastern market?

ASAP was actually my brother, Karan’s brainchild and having dealt with retail of readymade garments since years as the family business, we finally thought “Why not have a brand of our own?”. We knew what the market wanted and no one had really explored the space of customizing leather jackets yet! He got me on board and since then there has been no looking back!

North-east Is the most ideal market for leather jackets due the weather, influence of rock music and biker culture.

What are the reigning trends that you observe in actors these days? What does it take to be constantly creative & innovative in styling?

The days when actors would blindly follow trends are long gone. Now, it’s more about them creating those trends and having people follow them! Actors these days take that extra effort to get stylists on board to make sure they make that public appearance in the best-clad clothes!

Please tell us about your future projects.

Well work has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride and I’m absolutely loving it. Be it ads, movies or even ASAP, it’s been hectic but extremely fruitful. However, I intend to put more focus towards ASAP as of now, as we are planning to expand the brand matrix.