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Delhi-based fashion designer Dhruv Kapoor, 25, has always had a penchant for order and method. So when he decided, at 17, that he wanted to be in the business of fashion, he went about it methodically. He graduated from London School of Economics and then opened his studio in Delhi a couple of months ago

Named DRVV, after his brand of the same name, the 1,600 sq ft sparsely furnished space is done up almost entirely in white. With a row of garments (from his first collection) neatly hanging in the middle of the room, the only other people visible in the studio are his tailors, who are busy working without taking much notice of the people walking in.

Kapoor sits in his large office, which is furnished only with a large black sofa, a desk, a chair and a bookshelf. Sipping on an aerated drink and smoking a cigarette, Kapoor explains, "I only entertain people who have made a prior appointment with me. See, this is not just a studio, this is also my workplace, a place where I actually make and finish my garments". Kapoor who turned quite a few heads with one of his his designs — a bareback white gown — at the recently concluded Delhi Couture Week, came out with his first collection titled "Howard" a month ago.

The collection — inspired from Ayn Rand's protagonist Howard Roark in The Fountainhead — comprises shirts, jackets, pants and androgynous dresses. With a colour palette consisting black, white, lime-white and teal, Kapoor has focussed mostly on "functionality" of the clothes. He has used natural fabrics such as silk, crepe, satin, twill, linen and cotton among others. Our favourite is a short cotton poplin and twill white dress with a rigid angle on one shoulder and a two-way zip. Kapoor's designs, overall, are simple, functional, comfortable and priced between Rs 10,000 and one lakh.

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