REGAL RENDEZVOUS

DESIGNER RAGHAVENDRA RATHORE'S ROYAL ROOTS SHINE THROUGH AS HE REMINISCES ABOUT HIS CHILDHOOD AND HOW TRAVEL INFLUENCES HIS CREATIVE PROCESS

- ANTARAA CHATTERJEE

WHEN YOU THINK OF THE Indian bandhgala from the lens of luxury, the name Raghavendra Rathore comes to mind. The Indian luxury lifestyle designer made his eponymous label famous with his signature designs of Indian formal wear. His style focusses on opulence through subtlety. The designer reveals all about his royal roots, his memories of growing up in Jodhpur, and how much travel impacts his creative output in this candid tell-all.

› You've grown up surrounded by immense culture and aesthetics. When did you first know that you wanted to design?

Every child has creativity in some form or interest; my earliest memories are of being able to fix and repair gadgets, sketch out conversations to explain three-dimensional ideas and doodle for classmates struggling to sketch and paint in art lessons.

› Could you share some anecdotes about your early years spent in Jodhpur, and how that shaped your career in fashion? 

I grew up in a home that was structured according to the stringent