When Michelle Obama wore a Naeem Khan gown to a state dinner at the White House in 2010, it was a proud moment for the Indian-born, New York-based designer. Not just because the First Lady had chosen to wear one of his creations — after all, Naeem is used to having strong, beautiful women sport his designs, be it pop icon Beyonce, actress Eva Longoria or Queen Noor of Jordan — but also because the eye-catching embroidery on the strapless cream and gold gown had been created right here in India, at Naeem’s father’s workshop.

The bespectacled designer — charming, frank and just a little out of breath — when we caught up with him moments before his first-ever showing in India, at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, admitted that he felt like life had come full circle. After all, it was in his father’s workshops that he had his first “lessons”.
“What I learnt from my father as a young man was all through osmosis — hanging around him at the workshop, seeing him work,” says Naeem. “And then the dialogues between him and my grandfather. My family is the most inspiring part of my life as far as my designing career is concerned.”
It was through his father that a 20-year-old Naeem met revered American designer Roy Halston while on a trip to the US. Halston was so impressed with Naeem that he took him on as an apprentice, and over the years taught him much of what constitutes the “day-to-day” in fashion.
Naeem recounts, “He included me and taught me everything I know about fashion. You know, draping with him or having dialogues about what the next collection should be about or attending meetings together or even me pre-judging — before a fitting — how Halston would react to the tailors’ presentation… I got into the mind of Halston, and in the end, I was literally designing the collection.”
Naeem lists the other influences on his celebrated aesthetic — luminaries like Andy Warhol, Noguchi, Martha Graham and movie stars like Liza Minnelli. “When people like that are part of your life, you learn from them. Like learning to draw from Warhol, for example — it changes your mind,” Naeem says.
Today, a collection for his label can take as many as three to four months to put together. He describes the process as “moving major machinery”.
“So the prints are made in Italy or France, your laces are woven in Paris, the embroidery is done in India and then you have to get it all the different bodies and patterns made in New York. So you’re scouring the world to make this collection and making all the teams in these different parts of the world come together, it’s a big deal.”
As for the women who sport his creations, Naeem says they’re all very strong personalities. Mrs Obama wore a dazzling silver gown by Naeem once again, when she made a presentation at the Oscars last month. “I design for a powerful woman. She’s willing to go out there and say that I’ve arrived. You think of all the actresses who wear my creations on the red carpet, or of the First Lady, they’re all women who’re not afraid to make a statement, and my clothes fit them perfectly,” he says.
Among the strong women he admires was his mother-in-law, whom Naeem says he was very close to. Since she succumbed to diabetes, the designer has invested a lot of time and energy in raising awareness about the disease and funds for research into its prevention in the US.