Indian-born fashion designer Naeem Khan has dressed some of the world’s most famous women including Michelle Obama, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.
The First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama has worn his creations. So has Queen Noor of Jordan, Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz, and singers Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
Naeem’s designs are hugely popular because he mixes the traditional with the modern, and goes to any length to design collections that are not just interesting and exciting but also that sell.
Born in India but based in the US, designer Naeem Khan has dressed the First Lady no fewer than nine times since she stepped into the White House.
But the dress that catapulted him into the fashion stratosphere was the form-fitting champagne-coloured gown he designed for her to wear to the White House state dinner when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife visited in November 2009. The next day, he was the third most frequently searched person on Google.
Since then he has gone on to dress stars including Hollywood actresses Penelope Cruz, Emily Blunt and Eva Longoria. He also showcased his collection at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, India, earlier this year and his 2014 Spring collection at New York last month.
“The day Michelle Obama wore my dress for the state dinner was my biggest and most exciting moment,” says the 56-year-old. “I must say, I love designing for powerful women.”
It took over 40 people and two months to put together Michelle’s gown. Pattern makers worked in his New York office for over a month while embroiderers took three weeks to complete the work in India. Once he created the initial look, he sent the dress to Michelle’s stylist who took it to the White House and fine-tuned it to fit.
For that India-inspired dress, Mumbai-born Naeem used antique sterling silver metal sequins, working them into flowers inspired by Andy Warhol, which he fixed on champagne tulle, lined with chiffon, before giving it a very modern cut and style.
The look was classic, glamorous and timeless.
“I guess I am fortunate that my styles are worn by royalty, social figures, stars… people in the limelight,” says Naeem, whose clothes are sold in more than 100 stores worldwide.
He is married to jewellery designer Ranjana Khan and has two sons Zaheen, 27, and Shariq, 25, both of who also help him in designing and in managing the business.
“The glamour that I do is very conducive to the celebrations in the UAE a lot of women wear my clothes to parties,” he says. “My collection is wide enough for them to choose from and when I design, I do keep in mind my Middle Eastern customers their likes and cultural sensitivities.”
For instance, when designing for women in this region, he keeps a sharp eye out for the neckline and the hemline making sure that they are modest. “I always think about the people I am creating my dresses for,” he says.
A man who believes in creating dresses that work rather than to “impress the editors” his designs stand out for their dramatic detailing, luxurious textures and lush colours.
While Naeem has a huge loft atelier in Manhattan’s garment district, his inspiration and his aesthetics are drawn from India where he grew up and Indian touches find their way into his glamorous couture.
“I might not do India consciously but India always comes to it in a way,” he says. “India is a country with so many layers and texturing of colours and design.”
Design is in his DNA. Naeem’s grandfather was the founder of S.U.Zariwala, an embroidery house in Mumbai catering especially to brides. His father, a well-known couturier, continued the family business and expanded it taking some styles to the West.
Colours, threads, beads and sequins were all part of his world when growing up and Naeem, who enjoyed sketching designs from the age of 12, seamlessly slipped into the business. “My dad was a real innovator when it came to techniques and when you grow up with someone like him, it rubs off on you.”
After seven years of learning the skills and techniques in Mumbai, Naeem accompanied his father to New York where he met the then well-known designer Roy Halston Frowick, better known as Halston whose clients included Rita Hayworth, Liza Minnelli and Marlene Dietrich.
Halston spotted the talent in the young Indian and perhaps also smelling a business opportunity Naeem, he felt, would be a good liaison between his New York office and the Mumbai workshop took him on as an apprentice.
“I was just 19 at the time and the three years I worked with Halston were very influential years. I learnt all about clean lines and sleek cuts,” he says. Apart from learning how to cut, mould and drape fabric to create classic costumes he also learnt the ropes of managing staff and running a business. “I haven’t forgotten those lessons,” he says.
Keen to stake out his own turf, Naeem opened his own studio in Beverly Hills. “It was a success and I made my first million dollars when I was 24,” says Naeem, whose dresses sell for upwards of $2,000 (Dh7,345 ).
Ask Naeem about the fashion design process, and he says it always starts with a fantasy born from the imagination or the influences around you. “I design everything from the fabric to the embroidery to the shape of the dress. From start to finish, it can take about 400 to 600 people on two continents to put a collection together.”
Naeem loves making customised fantasies for his clients: Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo! wanted a wedding dress inspired by snowflakes. He created a one-of-a-kind dress for her using embroidery, layers of textures, feathers, paisleys and pearls. In a wedding dress for Cassandra Huysentruyt who married Brad Grey, chairman of Paramount Pictures, he even embroidered the lining of the dress with hand-cut rose petals.
“We think of everything! On another wedding dress we had poetry on the lining, so that once the dress is removed, one could read the verses. These one of-a-kind dresses are absolutely magical.”
Courtesy fridaymagazine
