'I didn’t know her first appearance would be in this'

Indian-born designer Bibhu Mohapatra is thrilled that the FLOTUS chose his creation for her first appearance on her India trip.
Michelle Obama made headlines the moment she landed in Delhi, as she exited Air Force One in a poppy print dress and jacket by Indian born designer Bibhu Mohapatra. The fashion world had been abuzz for weeks, speculating on what she would wear for this India trip, and the first lady of the United States did not disappoint.Bibhu told us, “I didn’t know that her first appearance was going to be in this outfit. I’m extremely thrilled. We did make this for her for the India trip but I don’t know when she’s going to wear what.” The first time Michelle wore one of Bibhu’s designs was during her appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2012. In October last year, she wore a white chiffon gown by the designer at the Black Caucus dinner in Washington DC. Closer to home, Bibhu has dressed actresses like Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt.
The designer, who’s from Orissa, said, “She’s someone who really supports diversity and different cultures coming together, and she’s always been supportive of designers of different backgrounds. She knows exactly what looks good on her and what the occasion is, so when this design came about for the India trip, somehow it resonated with them and we started making it for her. It’s colourful, geometric, soft, sort of traditional but modern, and it’s very her.”
Talking about Michelle’s sense of style, and how she might have come to choose this particular outfit, Bibhu explained, “She loves the story of where the print comes from, or where the fabric is from. Her interest in fashion or style goes deeper than just the surface of the garment and that’s why she wears a lot of her clothes multiple times, because she believes in longevity of the beautifully-crafted clothes that she feels comfortable in. The most exciting part about all of it is that here is someone the world looks up to, and she’s someone really powerful and kind and nice. For her to arrive in my homeland wearing something that I made – and my people there and here, my supporters, friends, family have all sent me so many messages – my heart is full. All night my phone kept ringing and I dare not turn it off because I wanted to see it all.”
The designer visited India last in December, and plans to come again in March. FDCI president Sunil Sethi also sent him a congratulatory message, and Bibhu told us, “Sunil Sethi sent me the nicest message saying that the buzz is overwhelming there.” He added, “The reality is that the first lady is someone who has a reach, she touches people from every part of the world. People who don’t even care about what fashion is pay attention to her, whether they realize who she’s wearing or not, they get to see it on her, so that is great for me.”