Rohit bal was gay
Despite being a mammoth name in India's fashion industry, Rohit Bal always kept his personal life under wraps for a long period of time. However, back in September , he publicly announced that he was gay.
As a young queer individual, I found in Gudda — as we called him — a source of comfort and strength at a time when India had few gay icons Designer Rohit Bal during the Grand finale of Amazon India Fashion Week in New Delhi on March 29th Rohit Bal (8 May – 1 November ) was an Indian fashion designer, known for his designs catering to both men and women. He began his career in , founding Orchid Oversea Pvt. Ltd with his brother, and debuted his independent collection in Popular openly gay Bollywood celebrities include designers like Rohit Bal and filmmakers like Onir, each celebrated for their talent and contributions to the industry.
Designer Rohit Bal knows how to shock and awe, whether it is with his designs, romances or his candid confession about his sexual orientation. It is learnt that Gudda (as his friends call Rohit) and his boyfriend of three years -model Lalit Tehlan - have parted ways.
julie deb rohit bal
Musician Shubha Mudgal sang, as models sashayed down the ramp at the 17th century complex. It was magic. On November 1, , Indian fashion lost its magician. He was He was in such high spirits at his last show. He was looking forward to the future. Known for his love for whites, golds, off whites, and blacks, bold motifs such as the lotus, in a range of rich fabrics such as silk and velvet, Bal was a force to reckon with.
He started the trend. For a young gay boy like me, it brought me hope. He came backstage to my first ever show in the country and congratulated me. In a hugely competitive field like fashion, he showed us the way. After one of my shows, he wrote me a poem. Rohit Bal was Indian fashion. He created gender-fluid couture long before the terms became fashionable in India.
Bal developed it and how. At his final Fashion Week, he bent a few rules too. The s supermodel Sheetal Mallar opened the show, actor Ananya Panday was the show-stopper, models walked to Kate Bush and Madonna, rather than contemporary hitmakers. He was a rare genius, a visionary whose talent knew no bounds, and beyond that, an incredibly warm and loving person.
The press called him the enfant terrible of Indian fashion — a man unafraid to ruffle creative feathers, party hard, or pander to a commercial trend. He came out in , long before the law or society was accepting of such relationships. He took plagiarisers to court even as he found new ways to give the traditional craftsmanship of his hometown in Kashmir a designer edge. He was among an early handful who gave it its signature flamboyance and nonchalance.
Rohit Bal was gender-fluid long before it became the catchphrase that it is today. Rohit Bal was a born couturier. He saw cloth as an open field. He knew where beauty naturally rested, and where it could be explored, combining bespoke artisanal traditions with motifs intrinsic to his Kashmiri heritage.
He was so kind and encouraging. He allowed us our creative freedom. But when I actually showed my first collection, not a single piece sold. That was a big learning for me, and I had to go back to the drawing board. We laughed about it, of course. Gudda was one of my closest friends. The fashion industry at the time was very different.