EXCLUSIVE: “Our collections are inspired by the refined sartorial history of the country” – says Saif Ali Khan as House Of Pataudi completes two years

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By Monica Yadav -

October 31, 2020 - 12:47 PM IST

Saif Ali Khan’s sartorial choices have captured the attention of many fashion connoisseurs. Known for his innate sense of style, he has earned the epithet of a metrosexual star. Two years back, Saif conceptualized an exclusive clothing line, House of Pataudi, with the intention to bridge the gap in the fashion market and make ethnic dressing a part of everyday wear. An amalgamation of the splendor of the past and the contemporary flair of the present, it is a clothing line that is solely dedicated to promoting Indian heritage by tapping into the understated elegance of traditional outfits.

EXCLUSIVE: “Our collections are inspired by the refined sartorial history of the country” – says Saif Ali Khan as House Of Pataudi completes two years

For Saif, the House of Pataudi is an extension of his family legacy. Its collections are inspired by the refined sartorial history of the country. Subsequently, the brand forayed into designing majestic furniture pieces and stylish footwear.

House of Pataudi, which created a niche and established itself as an elegant and regal brand for ethnic wear, recently celebrated its second anniversary It has been a very satisfying journey for the Nawab and his team as they brought to life the Pataudi heritage in modern culture through tastefully designed products which are a reflection of the rich and timeless heritage of yesteryear and modern India.

Bollywood Hungama spoke to Saif Ali Khan on House Of Pataudi’s second anniversary. When asked about his vision behind it when he planned to launch his fashion label, Saif says, “We started House of Pataudi two years back with the intention to bridge the gap between western and ethnic wear in the fashion market and make ethnic dressing a part of everyday wear. But the figures online said a different story. We read up and found out that a larger percentage of people lookup online to buy traditional outfits. So, we came up with a clothing line that would solely be dedicated to promoting Indian heritage in terms of clothing. We wanted to tap into the Indian wear market and make everyone sit up and take notice of the understated elegance of ethnic ensembles. “

The actor seems to be content with the way his label has progressed so far and the love that it has received. “Well, I am more than happy with the kind of response that we have received so far. The label is an extension of the Pataudi legacy and our collections are inspired by the refined sartorial history of the country. So, that makes it even more special. I’m happy that we have been able to carve a niche in an otherwise extremely competitive market. The immense love and popularity that it has garnered in such a short span of time is a testament to it. This has been a very satisfying journey,” he adds.

Interestingly, the House Of Pataudi collection names feels like poetry. It exudes the idea of past meets modern contemporary. Saif agrees that was the intention behind it. “We wanted to bring together the splendor of the past and the contemporary flair of the present. Our country has a rich sartorial heritage. I have always believed that it is ethnic wear that brings our cultural heritage to the fore and aptly reflects who we are. It is an epitome of love, poise, grace, and poetry and it offers an array of options to everyone to zero down on their modern festive needs. No matter how westernized we become, we don’t want to compromise with our Indian designs and textiles, do we?” he says.

Both the collections are men and women truly exude royalty. When asked whether the intention was to bring a traditional essence to the collections, the actor reveals, “Yes. Like I told you, we wanted to highlight our rich clothing heritage. We wanted to make ethnic dressing a part of everyday wear and not just something that we put on during a festival or some family event. I have always believed that traditional pieces are effortlessly stylish and can never go out of vogue. You can see that we have experimented with vibrant colours and contemporary silhouettes. The best thing about ethnic ensembles is that you can experiment with the fabric and so we have pieces in royal satin, silk, chanderi, and brocade, among others.”

Just like the festive season began, House Of Pataudi launched the Durga Pujo collection to kick of the festivities in full swing. Since a collection is conceptualized way before time, we asked how time is invested when it comes to curating a collection. Thanking Bollywood Hungama for appreciating the new collection, Saif said, “This collection is rather special to us. My mum, being a Bengali, really misses the festival. We have grown up hearing these lovely anecdotes from her about how she used to spend Durga Puja as a child. I am elated to have presented a collection that is signature of House of Pataudi and upholds the traditions of our country.”

“Generally, the whole conceptualizing process takes about a couple of months or so. But it took us more time than that this time around because of the pandemic. Most of the meetings happened via zoom calls. Though we had a clear vision as to what we wanted to achieve. But things got slightly tough because we had a smaller team this time. It, however, made for a unique experience and I think I have emerged a better and more patient decision-maker (laughs),” the actor further reveals.

Going forward, what exactly is the vision with House Of Pataudi? To which, Saif Ali Khan responds, “The ambition with this brand is to make a complete lifestyle label and we will be getting into various categories very soon. We have just launched footwear and are currently present in the furniture. So clearly we are working towards this goal and there are going to be all kinds of offerings from the brand.”