Steeped in the glamour of the vintage. An intense play of textures and layers. Dipped in glitter and glam. Sabyasachi Calcutta dropped its Autumn/Winter 2023 line on its Instagram page on September 6. A kaleidoscope of elements drawn from craft cultures from across the globe, tied together with the signature Sabya aesthetics.
“The more I travel, the more I realise that luxury connoisseurs are part of a unique community. They buy less but they buy the best and the distinct. Quality, authenticity and craftsmanship — that’s what they’re looking for,” says Sabyasachi Mukherjee in an official note released by the label.
Staples such as pants, skirts, slinky gowns, short dresses, jackets of varying lengths, fur coats, jumpsuits and even denims are elevated to uber-glamourous evening-wear and club-wear. Heavy textures and piled-up layers give a wintry feel to the collection. The palette is dark — maroons, reds, blacks, browns and teal. The jewellery is maximalist and vintage Sabya — stacks of bangles, strands of pearls et al.
“The Sabyasachi A/W 2023 collection of clothing, accessories and jewellery is based on principles of quality, authenticity and craftsmanship. Made in the Sabyasachi ateliers of Calcutta by bringing together the finest from across the world,” says the note about the collection that “bridges together the restrained and the rebellious”.
Currently in New York for the global launch of the A/W’23 collection, Sabyasachi spoke to t2oS exclusively about the inspiration behind the line and how Calcutta is at the heart of a collection inspired by cultures from across the globe.
The new collection brings together the finest of styles and craftsmanship from across the globe. Is this collection inspired by your travels to different parts of the world?
I’ve always been a bit of a cultural magpie. I think culture is created through dialogue and exchange. Take jadau, one of the most precious of India’s jewellery crafts, that was introduced to India by the Mughals and perfected by Rajasthani karigars. There’s a hybridity in all our crafts and textiles. So yes, travel, and my own experiences but also our history and heritage that teaches us to approach art and craft through the dynamism of exchange.
You are so widely travelled. Which countries have left the maximum impression on you with their heritage craftsmanship and textiles?
Maximum impression is probably an accurate way of describing my relationship with crafts and textiles. I think there’s something to find everywhere you go, be it the souks of Marrakesh or the jewellery ateliers along Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the weekly markets at Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine in Paris, the designer boutiques along Bond Street and 5th Avenue, and the many many bazaars across the length and breadth of India and closer home within the alleyways of Calcutta. Craft is based in community after all, and I think it’s the combination of all these places that I like to infuse with the spirit of Calcutta.
Which are the countries and the crafts heritages that specifically inspired the new autumn/winter collection?
Peruvian alpacas, Mongolian cashmeres, Kashmiri pashminas and the finest of English wools. Japanese cottons and recycled nylons. The finest of Italian jacquards from Como and hardware from Florence. Heritage zardozi embroidery from Bengal and the finest of India’s thread work embroideries and artisanal beadwork. And we bring it all together in our ateliers in Calcutta.
Like all your collections, does the autumn/winter collection too have snatches of Calcutta in it?
I think the spirit of Calcutta is infused in everything I do. It’s the essence of Sabyasachi. So yes this is a very multicultural collection but at its heart it forms part of my now over two-decade-long tribute to Calcutta.
Who is the collection for?
This collection is for the global and digital nomads of today. People who are confident, discerning about what they buy and how they dress, and those who love heirloom quality products. It’s a very wearable collection with everything from evening wear and cocktail to elevated everyday staples and resort wear — there’s something for everyone.
