Reza Shariffi is a name synonymous with good clothes and great designing. He
himself looks like a model with deep eyes and a tall stature, a genuine
smile that conjures up joy and a few streaks of red in his hair, showing
that the man has style. His name is often linked with Madhuri Dixit's as he
is her favourite designer and regularly works on her outfits, and among the
most prestigious of projects, he has also just bagged the biggest one of
today: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas for which he is doing Madhuri's
costumes, as well as many other big ventures.
 His job title is a couturier,
although to give him a job description would be
too restrictive of his talent and what he does, for this is the man who has
dressed up those demi-gods of the silver screen - the common man dreams of,
and often in the world of Technicolor celluloid fantasies, the array of
costumes on and off screen have something to do with Reza Shariffi.
He stands tall but exhibits a sense of shyness as he smiles and quietly
answers my questions, speaking passionately about his work yet not being
fully at ease with the media-eye, making my meeting with him feel
extra-special since he has agreed to talk to me about his art and life.
I begin by asking him what fascinates him most about clothes and by asking
him to elaborate on how he comes up with a design, what the process is of
making something which has been conceived in his mind to becoming a reality.
"What I love about clothes is difficult to describe. I guess in a way it's
the feel of the fabric, the thrill of different textures and colours, it's
something new each time," he says in his soft-spoken manner.
"Basically after an idea pops into my mind and it has been conceived, I put
it down on paper, then go pick up the appropriate fabric for the design.
Then later on it follows depending on what type of design it is. If it has
embroidery or some other necessity, it all follows."
Reza's outfits were the ones which flattered Madhuri to the hilt in Wajood,
will mesmerise you on Raveena Tandon and Kamal Hassan in the forthcoming
futuristic Abhay and are set to take your breath away as he has designed all
the male costumes in Devdas and Madhuri's too. Having flicked through some
of Reza's designs and being so used to hearing or reading his name, it is
certain that many people swear by him and that too with good reason.
His
designs range from the simple to the wild, from the exotic to the tame. I
slowly realise I am in the company of a fashion genius whose flair for his
art and versatility as an expert is something unbound and unpredictable. He
could look at your skin colour, your frame and immediately want to press
fabrics against you saying 'this would look good on you', and his attention
to detail is intricate. I enquire as to whether he always had a good eye for
what he does or was it something which developed with time, and how he got
into the industry which is not an easy one to breakthrough into and make a
name such as he has.
"Did I ever plan to go into this? No, it just happened. I went out and was
helping a friend and just seemed to get stuck onto it. I wouldn't say it was
an accident, but it just happened," he says.
"I wanted to be an architect when I was younger, but fashion was always in
me. Ever since I was a child I used to love draping around fabrics or help
out my Mom or my aunt, or simply co-ordinating the jewellery and that's how
it worked out."
Destiny had more creative inventions in store for this genius to create than
buildings, as he now can boast having worked not only on major fashion shows
and shoots, but also top films, the hottest and most influential Bollywood
stars and even is a constant accessory in their personal wardrobe choice,
for he has designed for many on numerous occasions.
"When you're doing someone's personal wardrobe you can be free-er than when
you're doing clothes for a film," he elaborates, "as you have to go with the
look and feel of the movie, the style and the character. Personal outfits
you can just go with who the person is and what you feel suits them, as opposed to the character they're playing on screen."
I probe into what or who inspires him, was there a particular star or a
particular person who drew first blood from his passionate heart filled with
flowing creativity, or was he someone who just received revelations from
Above.
"Initially when I started it was my aunt who inspired me, and now it's
simply everybody around. From a layman or a janitor to any celebrity,
whatever little details I notice about them, their personality or their body
language, I project it."
And project it - he does well as Reza's stars have always been in the public
eye and his clothes always been complimented. As his clients and friends win
'best dressed' awards and he is also always wearing something new or
designed by himself. Did he remember wanting to be the best dressed or being
the most fashionable person as he was growing up, or was he never conscious
of his own image which stood so clearly beside his art.
"I always wanted to be the best dressed," he chuckle, "and at that time no
one was really fashion conscious so it was an even bigger high for me."
 Knowing full well that Reza is Madhuri's favourite designer and she too has
described him as "a master at what he does", I ask him to name a few of the
people who he has designed for and the regulars. To say he lists the who's
who of Bollywood is an understatement as the first name alone reveals, and
he struggles to remember everyone's names although vouches he can remember
everyone's outfit!
"I've been doing clothes with Madhuri, Raveena and Twinkle. I've worked with
Shahrukh, Akshay, Anupam Kher, Kamal Hassan and many more."
He pauses for a second and smiles at me as his eyes slowly roll from the
ground up to meet my mine.
"But my dream is to dress up Sushmita Sen," he says with a spark in his now
lit-up eyes. It is obvious the charismatic personality of Sushmita has caught his eye as
a dream client and his smile reveals how he is hoping for it to happen.
As we check the time and Reza is about to be called for another shoot, I end our meeting by asking him of his favourite outfit. If he could pick one he
was most proud of, which would it be.
He is extremely thoughtful for a few
seconds and wrestles with picking one, telling me how difficult a task it is
to choose one of his favourite children. A smile later and a re-glow of Reza Shariffi spark-filled eyes, and I have my answer.
"One of my favourite outfits was the bridal outfit that I made for Madhuri.
I had 4-5 days to do it and wasn't sure if what I'd make would be what she'd
want, but in that short span of time it ended up being one of my favourite
designs and was liked very much."
As we end our fascinating journey into the world of fashion, I shake Reza's
hand knowing even bigger things are around the corner for him. His
dedication and endless enthusiasm for his work are clearly evident as a
driving force which fuels his passion and brings him many sleepless nights. It is also the key to ending his restlessness as he won't end his search
until he's found the perfect outfit for whatever occasion for whoever has
approached him. Each new project is a fresh new challenge he faces head on
and comes out beaming with joy as he is rewarded with the satisfaction of
knowing each and every time he gives birth to magic. You can count the
number of successful and well known designers in the industry on one hand,
and it is with great pleasure I can now claim to have met and seen the
passion which fuels one.
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