After launching her beauty products with Nykaa, Masaba Gupta has joined hands with the German multinational company Puma. In this collaboration, Masaba has used Puma’s ‘The Cali Sneaker’ as her canvas. However, what makes it even more interesting is the fact that she has drawn her inspiration from the two issues that are faced by millennials - anxiety and identity. In an interaction with the designer, Indulge congratulates the fashion designer on completing a decade in the industry and spoke to her about her collaboration and the thought process behind choosing these themes. Excerpts:
Q: First of all, congratulations on completing a decade in the fashion industry. How would you sum up the last decade in a few lines?
Masaba Gupta: Thank you! This entire journey has been nothing short of an extremely wild rollercoaster! We’ve learnt a lot and worked really hard to reach where we are today and we’re excited to see what’s in store.
Q: Tell us about your collaboration with Puma.
MG: I love Puma as a brand and this is an exciting collaboration, as we’ve revamped the Puma Cali Bold to create a limited edition series. Puma gave us white sneakers as a canvas to express our thoughts boldly!
Q: Who is the target audience for this capsule collection?
MG: Designed in keeps with the millennial mind, these shoes are so versatile that they are ideal for anyone looking to add a bit of colour to their lives.
Q: What made you explore anti-anxiety and identity as the theme for this collaboration?
MG: I feel that today’s generation is just moving at the speed of lightning without even pausing for a minute and this is a major cause of anxiety, which I believe, has become a curse on this generation. Arising from this crisis is a serious loss of identity because one is constantly seeking validation from everyone and everywhere. The idea is to encourage the generation to take a breath and decode themselves, search for who you really are beneath all your layers!
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Q: Have you faced issues with identity and/or anxiety in your personal life?
MG: Yes! I feel everybody is going through these issues on a daily basis.
Q: What do you want to say to people who deal with identity issues or anxiety?
MG: I just want to encourage them to stand up for themselves and make their own choices, don’t be a victim of the generation crisis. Living with your problems doesn't make you a hero, but taking a step towards fixing yourself does.
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Q: Besides Puma, you have done a lot of collaborations in recent times- Amrapali, Game of Thrones, Nykaa, Ekaya….What does it mean for the brand Masaba?
MG: I just wanted to start by saying, that Nykaa isn’t just a collaboration. Masaba by Nykaa is a long-term association, and we plan to build our entire beauty line with them.
Keeping that aside, it’s lovely to know that everybody is accepting the brand for what it is. We are so grateful for all the love that has been showered on us. These collaborations have contributed to our expansion while giving us the amazing opportunity to explore diverse venue of products and segments!
Today, the brand can catch hold of the pulse of the youth, we are always planning to be ahead of the curve. And, we just look forward each day to creating something new.
Q: Lastly, what’s next?
MG: Even with new ventures and collaborations fashion has always been our main focus, and our new festive line is launching soon.