Fortress of Solitude by Bobo Calcutta comes alive with Paoli Dam at CIMA

Since November last year, and as recently as May, I went through massive personal crises—dealing with ideas of love, loss, and belonging. I was in hospital, then in rehab. I lost my stepmother, and all of it happened over the last six months. The only constant that got me through this period was painting. I kept drawing. The lack of colours in hospital led me to sketch in my diary with markers and that’s how I came up with my first monochrome range. After hospital, I spent time at a rehab in Pune, where I drew between a tight daily schedule— using crayons and colour pencils on art paper. Then I spent some time with my aunt in Coonoor in the Nilgiris, where I painted with acrylic on canvas. All these paintings were sent to my team in Kolkata, who have a different perspective and a different way of looking at things. My grandfather, Gosto Kumar, always taught me how to break things down and mix emotions in a way that creates something amazing. I could never have imagined that the amalgamation of my work during my most tumultuous phase of life would turn out to be something so beautiful. In all honesty, I was designing before too, but those collections were more about aesthetics. This latest edit is different—whatever you wear will be part of my autobiography, my journey; each piece has a distinct narrative.

All the silhouettes have a personal touch and story. There’s Dear Rose, my homage to Titanic and Kate Winslet; and Call Me By Your Name, which comes from the thought of belonging and embracing your being. When I was in rehab, my team developed a beautiful print called Mosh Pit from my art. There’s also an outfit called Swamp of Lust. The word ‘lust’ is used beyond its usual connotation—it’s an integral part of our being. I lust for white lilies, for being loved by my dog every day. I lust to be touched by a man in a certain way, and I lust for appreciation of my work.

My body of work is autobiographical, and I have a habit of being very personal with my Instagram account, where you can see my work, my dogs, my lovers, my friends, and my team. You will see me having fun, and the idea is to keep a journal that’s visual since I am a very visual person. I have evolved through the relationships that I have had in my life, and that is a constant. I have to be in love constantly, and it need not be romantic. It can be a place, a flower, a chair, a room, a painting, or my dogs. I love the idea of love, and now I know how to handle it, and it reflects on my garments. I am learning on the job every single day.

Cinema is my constant source of inspiration. I realised I was gay when I saw Hrithik Roshan in a mesh T-shirt in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. All Rituparno Ghosh films, especially Antarmahal, have inspired me. Brokeback Mountain has also influenced me profoundly.

Among Indian designers, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Ritu Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Ujjawal Dubey, and Kallol Datta are my inspirations. Globally, I love Alessandro Michele, Alexander McQueen, and Tom Ford.

I have a video of my grandfather that I watch all the time. He started preparing for my mother Mallika’s wedding, nine months ahead of the day, and he did everything on his own. Right from going to Benaras and sitting with the weavers to come up with a uniquely woven sari, to selecting flowers for her hair and commissioning gold jewellery from a New Market goldsmith, he did it all. He even did her makeup and applied the chandan on her forehead. From painting alpona on the wedding venue floors to deciding the menu, he was completely hands-on. Even the gold bindi was his design. I’ve never seen or heard of another father doing everything from scratch for his daughter’s wedding. That’s the legacy of artist, sculptor, and textile designer Gosto Kumar and I’m lucky to have had him in my life. After school, I would visit him on holidays to learn drawing. He held my hand and guided me on canvas—that’s how I was initiated into painting. He was so modern in his views that he arranged for me to watch Titanic in theatres in 1997 when I was just seven or eight. It was an adult film, and that was my first exposure to nudity at such a young age. He said that there’s an inherent beauty in nudity and one has to have the eyes of an artist to observe that. That’s why, for me, the anatomy of the naked body is about beauty first, sex later.

For daily wear, I prefer my black tees paired with denim. I love moustache since I am fond of facial hair, and I wear earrings. I am not a sneaker person, so a pair of black boots and a nice belt are a must. For occasions, I wear dhotis inherited from my dad and grandad, and I can drape them the traditional way. I wear them with a Jodhpuri sherwani in shades of ivory or black, replete with jewel buttons and a colourful pocket square. For more formal occasions, I like double-breasted suits with large lapels.

Wear an embellished ivory sari. It can be from Abu Jani, Sabyasachi, Anamika Khanna, or me. Or go all out with a massive couture skirt that celebrates Indian craftsmanship, pair it with an heirloom choker and a white shirt, wear thick kajal on your eyes and flowers in your hair.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Konkona Sen Sharma.