Jaya Misra: Blending tradition with modernity

Kolkata-based designer Jaya Misra is in top form these days. A topper from NIFT and winner of many accolades, including the recent honor of 17th Lions Gold Award for the best upcoming designer, Misra is the founder of Lustoruz,

a company which seeks to recreate traditional Indian design extravaganza and interpret it in a contemporary fashion. Her creations emphasize a bohemian chic that is coupled with subtle sensitivity. She specializes in bridal fashion and aims to dress up the bride in a way as has been done never before.

Her buzzwords are: Love, Liberty and Luxury. Misra believes in keeping her signature style sweet and simple. She predominantly uses the floral motif which focuses on the inherent femininity of each and every woman. Misra feels that the flower which best defines a woman is the rose which is mesmerizing to look at but which possesses thorns that can ward off offenders. Her icon is Coco Chanel. According to Misra, the inventor of the LBD should be the inspiration of all designers. She describes her personal style statement as “seamless blend of tradition and modernity.”

Misra retails through her exclusive outlet at Elgin Road, a posh locale of Kolkata. Spread over an area of over 2000 sq. ft. the store is designed as an exclusive salon for the bride. However, the Misra journey just begins here. “I have tie ups with many fashion outlets around the globe and am looking forward to expanding my network.” A regular at international fashion events, Misra leverages these shows to build up her business network. She’s furiously putting together her portfolio for a fashion show in London followed by the Dubai and Amman Fashion Weeks.

Within India, she is no stranger to the film fraternity in Kolkata and Mumbai. Talking about her film industry patrons and projects, she says, “There are a lot of Bollywood projects coming up in the near future. I have designed for several Tollywood movies featuring some of the best Tollywood stars like Koel, Dev, Indrani Halder, Rituparna Sengupta etc.” Celebrities like Mugdha Godse, Rakshanda Khan, Karishma Tanna, Juhi Babbar, Archana Puran Singh are some of her patrons.