Kolkata, says the designer, had turned into quite a ‘hub’ for aspiring design people. “The labour here is very cheap. You get karigars here for a pittance,” he says. But there’s a lot left to be desired if Kolkata has to be considered a serious fashion destination. “There’s hardly any infrastructure in place to facilitate fashion and textile designers,” says Mukherjee. As for example export houses. “Most export houses in the city deal in leather,” he says.

So, how does all that come together with his plan to open a cooperative that would work with artisans based out of Bengal? “I haven’t got time to sit and plan out things. Two films and the upcoming fashion weeks will be keeping me busy for the next three months. I’ll get down to work thereafter,” he says.

Mani Ratnam’s Ravana, which stars Aishwarya Rai and Abhishekh Bachchan and another film are keeping him busy. Though he is not willing to reveal the designs up his sleeve, he says his taking up a film assignment has a lot to do with the creative freedom. “I look at what I can offer and what I can work on. The people involved in the film is of utmost important,” sums up Mukherjee.