They say creativity is only half the battle, the rest is hard work. And today, we have someone who proves this right – someone whose creative ideas take shape only with her relentless hard work. Meet Bambi Kevichusa, fashion designer from Nagaland, who runs her bridal couture label Bambi K Bridal and a concept store called Windfall. She says, “There is no substitute for hard work” and we can clearly see that as she juggles between two stores and is also planning on launching another one. Crediting her Naga roots for her success, she says, ‘I believe that the inherent traits of a Naga, are doing your job quietly, staying humble and working with integrity and fairly, and these are some of the things that I try to live by.’
Read on to know more about her and from where she draws her inspirations.
We had a chat with Bambi Kevichusa, fashion designer from Nagaland to know better about her work, how have her roots influenced her working style and more!
Bambi Kevichusa, fashion designer from Nagaland
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Hi, there! Good to have you here, please introduce yourself!
Hello! I am Bambi Kevichusa and I am a Fashion Designer based in Dimapur, Nagaland at the moment. I have been a designer for many years now, but embraced it as a real serious profession and a true calling only about 7 years ago.
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We would love to hear more about your journey so far.
After completing a tailoring course in Mumbai, I went on to do a Diploma in Clothing Industry Studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) in Australia. I came back home and started making Bridal gowns, as designing Bridal wear is my passion and I believe, I’m good at it. I therefore have a Bridal wear label, ‘Bambi K’ and I am also in the process of developing our prét a porter (ready to wear) under the label PRET by Bambi K. This is a more affordable line, quick fashion. And along with that, I also run a small store called ‘Windfall’ which was started 5 years ago.
The custom-made asymmetrical back and train bridal gown by Bambi Kevichusa
The custom-made asymmetrical back and train bridal gown by Bambi Kevichusa
The beautiful bride wearing Bambi K’s wedding gown
The beautiful bride wearing Bambi K’s wedding gown
The lovely view to Bambi’s concept store – ‘Windfall’ in Dimapur, Nagaland
The lovely view to Bambi’s concept store – ‘Windfall’ in Dimapur, Nagaland
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You have your own bridal collection, ‘Bambi K Bridal’ and you also founded ‘Windfall’. Would you like to tell us about both creations?
I am a designer who specializes in Bridal wear and it is something I truly love to do, although I call it “pain and pleasure” as Bridal garment construction is truly painstaking work, but at the same time, so gratifying and rewarding as we get to create clothes which are beautiful.
As for ‘Windfall’, it is a little concept store, where we sell everything nice and pretty, primarily home decor and clothing as well.
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And how do you manage both?
I have become a bit of a juggler. Although Windfall and Bambi K are both a part of each other, they are also very different. Bambi K bridal is primarily production based, where I design and we make made to measure couture wedding gowns. Windfall is a retail store, for which I have to do quite a bit of outsourcing and yes, selling. It’s not easy but I try.
Beautiful bride wearing Bambi K’s wedding gown looking all cheerful on her big day.
Beautiful bride wearing Bambi K’s wedding gown looking all cheerful on her big day.
Meters of delicate lace being painstakingly attached by hand to the hem of a Bambi K wedding dress.
Pink floral cushions at ‘Windfall”
Pink floral cushions at ‘Windfall”
One of Windfall’s ceramic English tea sets collection in a beautiful floral print
One of Windfall’s ceramic English tea sets collection in a beautiful floral print
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How do you think your roots have influenced your aesthetics and your work ethics in general?
My roots have definitely influenced my work as a designer mainly where I design garments which have Naga influences in terms of fabric and motifs. It’s interesting because in many ways, for me, and maybe for a lot of us Nagas, our identity has been shaped by a mixture of both our Naga heritage as well as the influences of our colonial past and the influences of the American Baptist Christian heritage and yes, globalization as well. So while I can say that, yes, I draw a lot of my design sensibilities from my Naga heritage, my work and designs have also been a projection of the western influences in design and art, that are a part of who I am now.
As for my work ethics, I believe that the inherent traits of a Naga, are doing your job quietly, staying humble and working with integrity and fairly, are some of the things that I try to live by. These work ethics have unfortunately somehow gotten blurred in our Naga society today, but which I believe still remains inherent in each one of us.
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What’s your work philosophy and where do you take inspiration from?
I believe that there is no substitute for hard work, and that one should never give up, especially during difficult times. My inspiration comes from a lot of different ways. In terms of entrepreneurial inspiration, I look at the lives of the successful men and women in business, both international as well as Nagas, and draw inspiration from their stories.
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Thank you Bambi for sharing your story with us, and what do we get to see from you next?
I am working on really pushing our ready to wear line forward; that is, make Bambi K clothes more easily accessible to people who want to wear/own them. There are also many other dreams and plans, as I’m a perpetual dreamer. Hopefully, time and hard work will bring them to pass. I believe that dreaming and hard work have to always go hand in hand in order to achieve success.
One of Bambi K garments on display at the Horniman museum in London.
One of Bambi K garments on display at the Horniman museum in London.
Bambi K design’s Pret a Porter – ready to wear collection
Bambi K design’s Pret a Porter – ready to wear collection
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What do you hope people take away from your creations?
When people see my clothes, I want them to see beauty. I also want them to feel a sense of luxury every time they put on a garment with the Bambi K label. And most important of all, I want them to look and feel good in my creation.
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And lastly, any message would you like to give to your fans or young entrepreneurs?
To “not despise small beginnings”, to always try and stay positive, and to never give up on your dreams.
We wish Bambi, all the best in her future endeavors. Follow her on Instagram to know more about her and her work!
Bambi with her adorable son
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