“Hema and I met through mutual friends and bonded over our experiences at Central Saint Martins,” says Gupta, fresh off his Met Gala debut earlier this month, with a statement gown for Mindy Kaling. “What struck me about her was not just her exceptional talent, but her unique approach to strategically positioning our brand within the global fashion landscape. Our aesthetics align towards futuristic progressive designs, and both of us are creative, hyper beings.”
The day of our shoot finally arrives, and we are in the Gaurav Gupta flagship in Mumbai’s fashion district of Kala Ghoda. Bose walks in, her diminutive frame almost hidden by a giant Plaza Athénée bag. Out of this bag comes a Dion Lee dress with cutouts, a vintage Vivienne Westwood crinoline, a sample from her time as an assistant designer at Jaeger, vintage Lanvin, Chanel, and YSL jewellery. It’s easy to believe this is how she dresses daily. But then, it was perhaps her creative outfitting that helped her get noticed and promoted on several occasions. “Julien loved how I put myself together,” she says. Without her spelling it out, it’s clear she’s a believer in dressing for the job you want.
And she continues to want her job. Until last year, Maison Bose Communications had one other employee besides its founder, but after the success of her last year, the team is growing. Despite the chaos of timelines and travel, she says she still enjoys her work and approaches it diligently, but does her best to keep stress out of the equation.
Styling is a high-stakes industry. Brands compete aggressively to stay on top of the pyramid and those with deeper pockets have iron-clad contracts with ambassadors singling them out from the fray. For a relatively young business, staying relevant is not without its challenges. “Cardi happened on the day of the show,” Bose reminisces with a smile. After walking the Grammys red carpet in an electric blue Gaurav Gupta gown, the rapper attended the designer’s couture show in Paris in July 2023. She was due to fly out of Paris that morning, but stayed back. A restaurant near Palais de Tokyo was shut down and converted into a changing station for her. “She was late, there was traffic, it was mad! But I knew it would be amazing.” Bose utters a quick word of gratitude to the musician and her management, who took a leap of faith and made sure it all happened. “I could never do it without them. But it also goes to show that if you’ve maintained relationships for years…”
Bose, who is currently being wooed by several brands in the country, is happy with the outcome of her efforts. She’s wary of committing to the biggest, boldest names as just feathers in her fascinator. “If a project doesn’t align with my morals or the brand’s aesthetics, I choose to decline it. Sustainable growth is a priority, and I’ve recognised the importance of timing in one’s journey. There have been instances where the timing wasn’t right for me, leading to a decision to say no to something. If a project won’t bring substantial benefits, I believe in being honest and stepping away.” On the other hand, she’s willing to place bets on up-and-coming talent in entertainment to collaborate with her roster of designers, like singer-songwriter Chloe Bailey and Emily In Paris cast member Ashley Park.
“Less is more. We don’t measure people based on their number of followers. It’s the talent that matters ultimately.”