Prasad Bidapa a fashion guru from Bangalore believes that countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should work together to emerge as a fashion hub as both the countries have a rich tradition in art and craft.

‘The Navhind Times’ caught up with him at a recent show where he displayed his latest footwear collection, at Baga. 
Prasad Bidapa, the original fashion guru of the country with an experience of around three decades in the fashion and style industry was down in Goa to showcase his current footwear collection.
This collection was suited for Goan rains and as he rightly put - it is very Goa.
“We launched a range of brightly coloured flip flops especially for the Goan monsoon. Arugam Bay is named for the fantastic surfing destination in Sri Lanka from where we import the rubber flip flops. They are fun and affordable and very very Goa,” explains Bidapa about his collection.
Bidapa is also one of the few who focused on men’s wear and was one of the individuals responsible for the sea change in men’s fashion. In the year 2005, he conceptualised the first Men’s Fashion week that set the trend.
“The Men’s Fashion Week I started was instrumental in creating a nexus between top designers and the leading brands in this country. This created a new synergy that improved menswear products and offered customers a designer product at affordable prices,” confirms Bidapa who also works as an image consultant. He further adds, “Now the ready-to-wear market is dominated by menswear.”
Bidapa is one of the few people in the industry who has actually seen this industry growing in India. But, he is not restricted to India only as he recently hosted the Colombo Fashion Week and also the Bangladesh fashion week.
Bidapa feels that all these countries (including India) should work together to give this industry the required boost. “I feel countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh should work together to create a design and manufacturing hub that could dominate world markets. We have the talent, the technical know-how and skilled labour and that’s all it takes,” asserts Bidapa.
Bidapa is considered as a fashion guru and thus like most of the acclaimed designers, his style is subtle and minimal and not over the top. He associates luxury with natural textiles. “Natural handwoven textiles define the Indian in me,” said Bidapa.
When asked to define fashion, he maintained that fashion always reflects the society, where we live. “I define fashion as the expression of a society that seeks to define itself through this medium much as it does through music, art, literature and dance,” expresses Bidapa.
Coming back to his designing Bidapa’s trips to Goa are always motivating. And now the monsoon in Goa surely gave him some creative fodder for his next collection. “Goa is always inspiring and the monsoon is the definitive Goan experience. My next collection of menswear uses the stormy colours of the sea and the sky to make a Goan style statement,” concludes Bidapa.
Top 5 essential things in a man’s/ woman’s wardrobe
Both should own the perfect pair of jeans, a superb watch, a great suit or the perfect sari, a signature perfume and the Kohinoor Diamond. [Collectively – its time it was returned to us!].