"A king among designers. A prince among men." At his comeback show last month, now his last show, a visibly weaker Rohit Bal walked hand-in-hand with actor Ananya Panday as models sashayed down the Lakme Fashion Week ramp in rich designs and elegant silhouettes.
Though a prolonged cardiac illness impacted his physical health and public appearances, his work showed that he continued to own the title bestowed on him by the TIME magazine - 'The Master of Fabric and Fantasy'. Rohit Bal, lovingly called 'Gudda' but also termed 'Enfant terrible', is synonymous with shows that broke norms, remained timeless and to this day offer an unparalleled definition of luxury-meets-modernity. Case in point, his 2015 show against the backdrop of the Qutub Minar, or a gender-bender show featuring male models in ghagra skirts and sindoor.
And then there was his historic Lodhi show, where models wore richly-embroidered outfits and walked into a pool, resembling lilies and lotuses. (Fun fact: He, too, later jumped into the pool!) Rohit Bal drew inspiration from his Kashmiri heritage, with floral and peacock motifs becoming synonymous with his label launched in 1989. The embroidery was rich and his deep understanding of Indian textiles was evident.
His expertise lay in marrying luxurious fabrics, bold colours, detailing and silhouettes to put on display the cultural heritage of India. It is no wonder then that his label expanded quickly to the Middle East and Europe and his designs adorned a plethor.