Anupriya DG the fashionista from Kolkata eats, drinks and breathes fashion

Born and brought up in the city of Kolkata, Anupriya DG had two clear goals set for her as a child. She would either be an engineer or a doctor. When all her friends were busy drawing up lists of Engineering & Medical entrance exams that they had to appear for, Anupriya was fighting with her parents about not taking any of those tests. And to the utter dismay of her teachers, parents, relatives and even friends’ parents, she didn’t apply for a single entrance exam that would have taken her on a nerdy journey of the study of Science. Instead, she took the all India entrance exam for the National Institute of Fashion Technology. She got through, spent four wonderful years at college and graduated with a degree in Fashion Designing!

“Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to do all that without my parents’ belated, but sincere support,” Anupriya is quick to point out.

She also adds ,

After graduation, I worked with some of the largest retail corporates of India, but at the end of the day, complete job satisfaction was not there. Even though I was working in a creative department, we still had to follow rules and guidelines and work as per the set norms sent by the head office. That somehow restricted my free-thinking ideas and my creative soul felt trapped. Hence, after working for more than 4 years, one fine day, I put in my papers and decided to start my own thing.

Making the mark

Today Anupriya is a fashion designer, based in Kolkata, running her own brand of clothes & accessories. Talking about her role as a fashion designer, Anupriya says, “I do what I love and I love what I do. I

created my own brand, Howrah Bridge, and started out with selling little handmade accessories like brooches and necklaces, while I still had my day job. I sold these trinkets mainly through online shopping portals and the overwhelming response I got in the form of orders from all corners of the country egged me on. Then I slowly started to venture into digital art accessories such as wall prints and laptop skins, and finally, after quitting my job, I moved on to clothes.”Anupriya now has her own little workshop with three workers and one room turned into a studio for displaying her merchandise. She meets her clients there and is yet to have her own store/retail outlet. Her products are available at various multi-designer stores in Kolkata, Bangalore, Goa and she does brisk business through her Facebook page.

The creative clause

This fashionista from Kolkata has a mind of her own and owns ‘a design philosophy that has its roots in tradition but embraces modern ideas with open arms. Hence,

Fashion comes to this Kolkata girl naturally. Speaking about her rendezvous with fashion since childhood, Anupriya says, “When I was in school, I used to draw fashion figures on the last pages of my school notebooks during free hours. That’s how my first tryst with fashion started and it went on as I idolized first Ritu Beri, then Sabyasachi Mukherjee, finally culminating in my stubborn attempt at convincing my parents about pursuing fashion studies after passing out from school. As they say, the only constant thing in fashion, is change. Everything in fashion – from trends to styles to garments – keeps changing in a cycle of ever-evolving ideas and concepts. Being a 90s kid, I have seen fashion change from the typical street grunge style of that decade to a more polished, chic look of the 2000s and as every year goes by, I see it evolving and transforming into a melange of comeback trends and new styles.”

The fashion statement

“Fashion”, adds Anupriya, “is not a term restricted for use only in connection with the high society or celebrities any more. Today, the mass population has embraced the various nuances of fashion and looking fashionable is a priority for everyone who can afford it. While earlier, we used to shop for new stuff only before big occasions, now shopping is a year-round ritual, especially after the boom in online retail. Hence, we can safely say, that fashion has passed her adolescence and is on the way to becoming a matured, attractive temptress; ready to lure one and all with her glamorous demeanour.”

Anupriya’s personal sense of fashion is quite eclectic and she never compromises on comfort for style. Divulging further she says, “I have been known to frolic around in flats more than strutting around in heels. Also, I am not a trend-follower, I wear clothes that flatter my body and look stylish, even if they are not ‘in’ that season. For me fashion could be a tee and denim clad girl-next-door one day and a boho queen in flowy maxi dresses & statement jewellery the next.”

Anupriya eats drinks and breathes fashion; hence, for her, every moment spent in the field is filled with love, inspirations and happiness. The fashion world is her mind’s dwelling place and she loves it to the core. With twinkling eyes she shares, “Fashion brings together the creative skills of various professionals together – from designers and makers to photographers and stylists – and thus forms a community of talented artists.”

Having a strong opinion about her subject, the fashionista voices her reservations about it with vigour-

I totally condemn blind following of fashion trends and sacrificing comfort and character in the name of fashion. I hate it when women wear a certain kind of clothes just because they are ‘in’, even though those garments might not flatter their body types or might be uncomforting. I believe that style is an individual characteristic and women should have their own style sensibility and should dress according to their body and personality.

The woman

When not dreaming up any fashion fantasies, Anupriya multi-tasks as freelance stylist, hobbyist photographer, content writer and blogger. As far as best friends are concerned, books are her diamonds. She believes in hard work and lives to eat. Baking is her ‘pick-me-up’ for whenever down and dejected while love, travel, art and creativity are her elixirs of life.