MASABA GUPTA

You wear your jewelry, don't let it wear you.

I played professional tennis for about six years and I played football and handball in school as well.

It's natural to want to have the things your peers do, adopting a lifestyle that lets you have the best of all worlds, but it's a trap. Don't let any person, thing or even a lifestyle have the power to control you. Learn to break free and be independent.

Calcutta is a very culturally-forward city. People encourage art, music, literature and I just feel like that's a city that looks for experiences over just retail.

Once upon a time, fashion was complex, and ostentatious was considered better.

I think a lot of magazine covers are heavily photoshopped and bodies are distorted to look a certain way.

I think Calcutta is that kind of a market that if you are a Delhi or a Bombay designer, they feel they are being shortchanged and given stock that isn't fresh.

Athleisure is a cool concept and something I have always wanted to work with.

My childhood had much clarity. I didn't see abuse. I didn't see my parents bickering. I didn't live in a dysfunctional family.

I used to have a Milton steel water bottle that I would wield like a hammer, almost! My answer to all my bullies was to take out my bottle and hit them.

I think Bengali women have the most eclectic sense of dressing.

My father was as involved as he could be. He was busy, but called me every day. He knew what was happening in school, and even came for my tennis matches.

I don't force reinvention. I play with silhouette and color, since Indian as well as Caribbean women have a penchant for these.

I work out five days a week with my personal trainer, who comes home and gets me cracking on my fitness routine.

I used to be angry all the time and at everybody. I would get really violent.

Mom and I are playing fictionalized characters of ourselves in 'Masaba Masaba.' The series is a slice of our lives, and reliving key moments, even though fictionalized, took me down memory lane.

I always wear at least five rings on my fingers - I have these knuckle rings I really like.

When it comes to my skin, let's just say my dermatologist is on my speed dial. I have this major hormonal imbalance so it all just sort of flares up every few months.

I am young, and that reflects in my designs. I can't pretend to be 40.

For me, inclusivity is a very important subject because it's a diverse world and every person is different and unique.

For me, three vacations is more value-for-money than a mandap with diamonds on it.

I literally grew up reading the papers about my existence... that I was a love child. To a kid, it doesn't make any difference. I always thought that if somebody can have an extramarital affair, someone can have a child out of wedlock.

In our culture the idea of being fair-skinned is related to success. And we think that is the truth. Unfortunately, the beauty, fashion and Bollywood industry are to be blamed.

I would love to design a car. And shoes, like funky Keds maybe.

I wanted to be a musician and studied vocals in London for a year and then I gave it up.