“I wanted to create the best lipstick in the world,” Sabyasachi Mukherjee says of his new ten-part lipstick line, in collaboration with Estée Lauder. “When I first started talking to Estée Lauder, I told them that this was going to be a slow burn, but a rewarding one.” To say that the four-year process of creating ten satin-matte and ultra-matte formulas in idiosyncratic hues that represent the colours of India was extensive, would be an understatement.
In a conversation with Vogue, the designer speaks about finding your identity through beauty and how he channelled the trifecta of quality, clarity and colour bequeathed from his heritage luxury label into the collection — among other things.
Sonakshi Sharma: You already brought Indian fashion to the world, what made you move into beauty? Tell us about the inspiration behind this collaboration.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee: I wanted to create something that was trend-less. For me, the real power of a beauty brand lies in creating a product that attracts a lifelong consumer – something that you buy repeatedly for the rest of your life and it almost becomes part of your identity. We decided to create the lipsticks because of their power to transform. A quick swipe across lips creates an instant wash of colour in shades of pink, beige and red. There is a colour for everybody.
The limited collection is also sustainably minded. It’s not just about packaging and production, we also need to push consumers to practice consumption mindfully to close the loop. You know how the saying goes – buy less, but buy better. That was the real premise of this collaboration. It took four years to create these formulas, but I’m happy with the outcome.
SS: The nomenclature of your shades — like Rouge Bengal and Bombay Berry – represents an inherent Indian nature. Is this your way to take Indian beauty to the world?
SM: When you think of the diversity and the richness of colour, are there any countries that compare to India? It’s not just pink and tangerine that India is synonymous with, but nude, coffee and red tones, each with various shades in it. I wanted to create a colour palette to address diverse skin tones, in India and out of it. For the woman who likes a deeper shade, there’s Bombay Berry, but if you’re someone who prefers a softer pink, there’s Devi Pink.
There’s a reason they took us so long to create. From the scent of the bullet to narrowing down the finish – balancing satin and matte – and how each lipstick feels upon application, we relied on science and swatches to find all the answers.
SS: How does this collection set stand out in a highly saturated beauty market?
SM: I would say the trifecta of quality, clarity and colour — practices that comes from my label as well. It’s what you put in the formulations of these bottles, much like the karigari in my lehengas, that matters. Stephane De La Faverie, executive group president of Estée Lauder Companies, and I went through the wringer trying to balance shades, like the classic red with brown, yellow and blue. He kept saying, “Let’s add 2% more blue to it? Can we reduce the brown by 1% though?” in our ongoing conversations, until we arrived at a shade we all agreed on.
For the packaging we traversed deep into Mrs. Estée Lauder’s exclusive archives, which were filled with inspiration boards and objects from the brand’s history. Looking back at old Bollywood and Hollywood films, I also found reference images where the materials used were primarily Bakelite and gold, hints of which you can see in the gilded cases that are adorned with 24K gold plated accents and emblazoned with the Bengal tiger [Sabyasachi’s insignia].
SS: Do you see the lipsticks as modern heirlooms that will sit as keepsakes in vanities across the world?
SM: Since we didn’t want to create anything disposable, the answer is yes. If you’re not creating modern heirlooms at a time when there is so much wastage, you’re not adding any value to the world. I just wanted to make sure that either we did it right, or we didn’t do it at all.
SS: With conversations around inclusivity and self-acceptance in beauty — what was your vision when crafting these lipsticks? Do you think you achieved what you set out to?
SM: I wanted to create a band of universally-liked colours above everything else. Some people will look at them and say, “Oh, there’s nothing for us because he’s not done a navy blue or an emerald green,” but they need to know that this is not the brand for that. What you will find is a shade that suits every skin undertone because the whole line has been created that way.
As this collection comes to fruition, if even one woman tells me, “This is the lipstick I want to wear for the rest of my life.” I will think of it as a job well done.”
Sign up now to pre-order the Estée Lauder x Sabyasachi Collection here. Available to purchase at select Estée Lauder counters and Esteelauder.in beginning 4 March 2024.