You could never imagine that a reticent, small-town boy would one day light up the catwalks of the maximum city, but Punit Balana did this and lots more. Born and raised in the quietude of Bikaner in Rajasthan surrounded by a celebration of colour, he never showed any interest in his father’s traditional plaster of Paris business. Clothes made his heart sing. So even though the self-taught designer never knew how to sew he would make interesting alterations in his ensembles, this grew into a passion and soon, a full-time obsession.

Despite resistance from his family, at the age of 20, he began dealing in prints and soon became one of the most coveted print-makers supplying to wholesalers observing how they were minting money out of his ingenious blocks. So, in 2015 he decided to launch his label, under his own name, of course in keeping with the sights and sounds of Rajasthan heralding the beauty of prints— Sanganeri, Bagru, Ajrakh to Daboo. Though his fascination for Jaipur took a robust turn, when he decided to move there.

“In India, we always say that the wedding is the most important day in a girl’s life so she must be happy. And she will be so when she is comfortable in what she is wearing and can enjoy her D-Day. Thus, all my outfits are fun, light, subtle, and not over-embellished,” he adds. He focuses on technique and garment construction and none of his lehengas are bridal, but they look grand despite following the less is more ideology. Pinks, lilacs and peach and pastels are de rigueur making it ideal for brunches and engagement ceremonies.

Though the road to stardom hasn’t been an easy one for Punit, he admits he struggled for 17 years, it was only when he participated in fashion week, Mumbai, they took him seriously. “I followed my heart, there was no nervousness. Inspired by the grandiose architecture and surreal beauty of Jaipur, it won many fans. Most people called Bagru prints ‘chaddar ka kapda’, but I put it in the spotlight, gently printing it on my heavy silks and crepes elevating them to a royal appeal,” he explains, add to this the gracious use of fabrics almost 25-30 metres on a single skirt, making it swirl like magic! “Suddenly I had a legion of devotees,” he laughs.

Bollywood was the first to notice and quickly adopt him, flooding him with requests for outfits, so Punit without any advertising made his presence felt in a sea of designers. “Designers debate on impressive podiums about whether a star can help you gain attention, I would answer in the ‘affirmative’ as they have such a wide fan base that a style guru instantly gets noticed. I don’t handle my own social media accounts, but I do feel it is another way to reach out to so many women, who get a glimpse of your design process,” he explains.

Punit in his personal life is a sporty man, who believes comfort and functionality are the key ingredients of style, and will often be seen lounging around in his bomber, tracks or shorts, minus any flounce and that’s what his design flavours replicate. “I don’t do menswear, I am not a fan of formal clothing. But who knows someday it may interest me? What has been the most delightful thing in my sojourn is my dad and how happy he was when he came to my new store opening in Mumbai. He has never been expressive, but he is curious about what I am doing and that is indication enough, he is satisfied with my trajectory,” affirms Punit. His next stop would be Delhi as he believes buyers here really have the spending power and don’t think twice if they are seduced by the charms of an ensemble. “I would like to increase my buyer base, but I am not a man in a hurry, good things take time for fruition,” he says. In the meantime, he is busy with his new collection.

Not looking at brand diversification or branching into other areas related to fashion, Punit wants to master this trade, and experiment with what he is good at—outfits other than the wedding. “I never really liked ornamentation, style must be pragmatic and relevant. Even though I never curate path-breaking cholis, offering new templates, I keep it conservative, I know my audience. A bride in my eyes would seldom wear monochrome or blue on her big day, she would prefer shades of tangerine,” he confesses.

His latest line “Rabari” is an ode to the tribe, pastoralists by nature, known as the wandering gypsies, and their vibrant thread work and fine beading that ties in riveting stories of the desert. Rabaris wear charcoal black, and their mirror work is superlative using round, rectangular, square, and triangles and the men with their gravity-defying turbans. “They have mesmerized me with their cultural identity, I wanted to pay homage to their undying spirit and nomadic ways surviving the elements with sheer grit,” he explains.

Being one of the three kids growing up in a business family in Bikaner, Punit is close to his sister, who is also his confidant and mentor. Not a day passes when they don’t talk about how their day went. “I share everything with her, including my insecurities, even though I have a brother. She gives me her honest opinion which I value and she is only allowed to wear my clothes,” he concludes with a wide grin.