French luxury brand Joseph Duclos' creative director, Ramesh Nair, speaks about his journey, the role of heritage in luxury, and the future of the brand

It's tough for people to revive heritage fashion houses to their once-held legendary status. But not for Ramesh Nair. Over the past two decades in Paris, Nair has honed his skills at Y (Yohji Yamamoto’s label), Christian Lacroix, and Hermès under Martin Margiela, the creative director at that time, and got each one of them back to where they belonged on the fashion map. In 2010, Nair was appointed as the creative director of Moynat, where he designed for the womenswear line going on to make them collector's items. In 2021, he added another feather to his cap when he became the creative director of 267-year-old Parisian Joseph Duclos. 

There's still a long way to go for Nair and a lot to do. In an exclusive interview with Bazaar India, Nair talks about his journey, working with some of the best brands, his plans for the future, and much more.  

Harper’s Bazaar: You always dreamed big. From your times in the early ’90s in Delhi to your stints with Hermès, Moynat, and now Joseph Duclos, please take us through your journey. 

Ramesh Nair: I think I always had it in me to create my own path instead of fitting into existing moulds. In Delhi I did not have an employer, but the market did have a set pattern that I did not find challenging and fulfilling enough. What better way to test my mettle than to go to the ultimate in the fashion world, Paris, where I can honestly say, I feel like I have fitted in and even contributed to the luxury and fashion landscape. As much as moving to Paris, my dream was to touch the ultimate in luxury and I was not content to settle for second best. This continues to be my approach even today.

HB: You have worked with some of the best—Yohji Yamamoto, Christian Lacroix, Martin Margiela, Jean Paul Gaultier—how did you manage to secure your chance to work with them?

RN: Even as a student I had a wish list of designers I wanted to work with. Today I have worked with four out of the six on my list (the other two are retired). The most important factor is to recognise and develop your own design style, and not just make a list of the top names in the market. For a designer to hire you, you have to show how you can contribute to their creative process, not the other way round. You have to impress them enough that a designer at that level will recognise that you can bring them something valuable. Too often today I see youngsters who expect the designer to feed into their process rather than the other way round. A willingness to observe, learn and imbibe without immediate returns is essential. After that it’s a question of perseverance, grit and a touch of luck.

HB: Your track record shows your slant towards working with brands that have rich heritage backgrounds. What does it take to bring forward the history behind the brands to today’s luxury market? 

RN: Hermès was my introduction to the concept of heritage luxury at a time when most luxury brands were highlighting their modernity and contemporary fashion aspects. Both Moynat and Joseph Duclos are brands that I conceptualised as being rooted in their heritage. They had been non-existent and it was a conscious decision on my part to orient the entire brand around their roots and history. This includes everything from storytelling, art direction, product design and execution, PR and press, right down to choice of personnel. A broad vision of the brand must be created and then distilled down to every single detail so that every aspect remains coherent and authentic. In fact, it worked so well that to my surprise and pleasure, many people don’t even realise that both Moynat and Joseph Duclos did not have an unbroken line of existence.

HB: While working with Hermès, you introduced Paris Mumbai collection which was a runaway success. Are you planning something specific for Joseph Duclos, too? 

RN: The Paris Bombay bag was my first foray into bag design. Joseph Duclos has some very beautiful and exceptionally crafted pieces like the Saint Clair and the Diane collections. They are both very specific as they are based on traditional craft techniques with high degree of hand making. Both collections are iconic to the brand and will continue to expand.

HB: What are the most fascinating moments of your professional life? 

RN: There have been so many fascinating moments along the path of my professional life, most of them involve being challenged to achieve something that is new or untried. It could be the decision to leave the safe environment of India and pit myself against the best of the fashion world in Paris. It was also when I decided to throw myself into bag design, coming from clothing design, or deciding to take on the direction of an entire brand revival and not just the designing of the products. Each challenge comes with its own lessons, where I discovered how to push the boundaries not just for myself but also the preconceived barriers for the artisans and for the clients. Unless the designer shows you something entirely new, the artisan does not know it’s possible to make it and the client doesn’t know it’s possible to enjoy using and owning it. For example, I designed a bag made in stone that was moulded and hand stitched, this was a challenge for all of us that we did not know beforehand would be possible.

HB: In the coming seasons, what are the things planned both for the brand, and also for you personally? 

RN: I have personal projects in the near future that I have been steadily working on—a brand that will move to the next level of super luxury and innovation. It will combine my first love, clothing, with my passion for bags, and once again break new ground for both. For Jospeh Duclos, we will see some interesting projects with artists that will add new dimensions to the brand. Additionally we hope to widen the brand’s presence internationally as well.