Amit Aggarwal on Reinventing Couture, Celebrity Styling and Why Virality Is ‘Just Chatter’

Choosing the Celebrity

He has created such a distinctive signature that one wonders if any celebrity clients — or, let’s be honest, their stylists — ever push him out of his comfort zone. “I don’t allow for that to happen,” he says with a laugh. He’s grateful that most clients, including names like Diana Penty, Sobhita Dhulipala, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and more, arrive with a clear vision that aligns with his design philosophy, and he welcomes feedback along the way.

Styling celebrities, however, is no easy task. With multiple events across the year, they’re constantly looking for new outfits.

“It’s an ongoing exercise,” Aggarwal says. “Weekly, and sometimes daily during a big season of red carpets or movie promotions.” Beyond their stylists, the brand keeps close touch with actors whenever needed.

“But, of course, discretion is very important. We try and maintain the luxury quotient by identifying and working with people who understand our ethos and are the right fit for the brand,” he adds. “That allows for more impactful and true placements rather than spreading ourselves thin and being seen on everyone.”

This strategy was clear in his choice of actor Disha Patani as showstopper at Lakmé Fashion Week.

“There are certain decisions that the brand takes when it’s a collaboration — like with Indriya, Aditya Birla Jewellery,” he says. But what he seeks is a person who embodies the spirit of the brand.

He continues, “At Couture Week, a lot of the times we’ve not really looked at a celebrity to close the show because the design or the concept itself was the muse and the showstopper.”

“Disha has been really bold with her choices,” he says, adding, “She felt like the right fit for this association.” Still, Aggarwal has never had a single muse. His brand is for those who are confident, strong, opinionated, and unafraid to experiment.

Singers Raja Kumari, John Legend and Björk have all taken to wearing Amit Aggarwal designs on stage. Performance outfits, therefore, are designed with movement in mind.

“Performers have to be really the most animated selves on the stage, so I feel stage clothing should allow movement and flexibility,” he says. Adding that the outfit must make an impact, as audiences see performers from afar, Aggarwal continues, “The materiality, how it captures in photographs, and allows for the movements to be as true to the performer’s is integral.”

A standout example came in 2013 when singer Dannii Minogue wore a metallic, structured gown by Aggarwal for the cover of her compilation album “This Is It: The Very Best Of”. “That was an organic placement,” he says. “It wasn’t something that we consciously worked on a placement for.”