From Runways To Red Carpets

Renowned for redefining modern elegance, Neeta Lulla has captivated the fashion world with her distinctive blend of bold creativity and timeless sophistication. Her talent and design sensibilities have carved out a niche for her, leaving a mark not just on the fashion and film industries but inspiring generations of designers. As Lulla chalks up 40 years in her career, she takes pride in rewriting India’s fashion story on the global map. “The experience has been amazing because I was fortunate to start a career with two verticals simultaneously. To be able to do that in today's times, I don't know whether that would be a possibility,” she expresses.

However, Lulla’s journey had not always been this plain sailing. She looks at it as a learning experience that has only evolved with time. “If you ask me if I would like to do it again, my answer would be yes. I would do it again because I don't know any other way. I don't know any other way but to be able to work on two verticals simultaneously, and both of them feed off one another,” she believes.

A graduate of Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic, Juhu, Lulla is best known for her minimalist aesthetic and commitment to sustainable fashion, often noticeable in her label ‘House of Neeta Lulla’. She draws her inspiration from merging traditional elements with contemporary trends, which she feels, comes very easily to her. “I have so much of a body of work that I can go back into that and get inspired again and come back with a fresh perspective,” she comments.

Lulla’s philosophy of style is generally a mix of Indian fabrics with Western Edwardian silhouettes and Renaissance colours, and her this year’s festive edit bespeaks just that.

Festive-Bridal Focus
Lulla’s festive collection mirrors her unique design philosophy, offering couture bridal wear and a bridge to luxury collections, wrapped with mindful sensibilities. Recalling her earlier days, Lulla realises that her identity was not very clearly known, despite her work being deeply appreciated. “I don't go with a lot of stagnancy of sorts to create an identity. Word of mouth, my vision, and the aesthetics that I bring to my work have brought me to the forefront as India's first five designers in bridal wear and couture,” she claims.

With that, the veteran has decided to reinvent the entire brand ethos this year while keeping her philosophy and identity intact. “I am working on this and quite enjoying it because during the process of creativity, you work and you make mistakes. You work, and you create an aspiration. You work and create that stagnancy. But when you work and you understand that you need to reinvent, you reinvent. That's the adventure of creativity and I like to go with that flow,” she explains.

Giving us a sneak peek into her festive-bridal segment, Lulla continues to follow her ‘be your own kind of bride’ credo for the modern brides that are the discerning connoisseurs of all things bespoke. For her, every bride has a different aspiration. Their social and cultural backgrounds are different, hence the need to address each bride differently. “It's couture in its real sense because you are dealing with not only the emotional quotient, the aspirational quotient, but the comfort quotient of the bride as well. And all this wrapped in the sustainable quotient,” she mentions.

For Lulla, bridal outfits are a very serious niche of fashion because that particular outfit is the aspiration of a bride who has dreamt of herself in the outfit and stays with her for posterity. As a designer, one is constantly walking on a tightrope to be able to create a garment that will adhere to the sensibilities, make the bride feel beautiful and comfortable, and will also adhere to the sensibilities of the family.

In terms of marketing, Lulla looks at it as an immensely critical tool to target her consumers for all her collections. For her, marketing goes beyond the realms of a brick-and-mortar store and digital serves exactly that. “Consumerism is very essential and that can only be catered to if you are prompt on your digital medium. The best way is to have a great website where the consumer can see your products, an Instagram page with appealing visuals and quickness in answering customer queries,” she asserts.

Lulla is confident that the current festive quarter will set the momentum for her brand in the year ahead, as despite the volatile market situations, consumers appear to be bullish in their spending capacity. In terms of her personal goals, she will continue to push boundaries, redefining what modern fashion can be!