In a tete-a-tete with the designer, we are first, most curious about how his journey with fashion began. The designer reveals to us that ever since his school days, he's been following the latest fashion trends. "The initial interest led me to delve deeper into the finer points of fashion - things like silhouettes, textiles, cuts, prints, with a special interest in block prints," explains the designer who then moved to Jaipur to learn the craft of Sanganeri block-printing and even went on to start his career in the pink city where he made his own blocks for fabric.

 

 

Eventually, in 2015, Balana launched a capsule collection and there's no looking back since. The label  was "Born out of my need to bridge the gap between seemingly contrarian attributes - it is effortless, yet makes a bold statement; it is modest but still extravagant and progressive yet rooted in traditional craftsmanship of India," he explains about the brand which runs on the philosophy of ensembles "Designed to move, dance and celebrate in."

With his roots in Rajasthan, the designer always manages to bring out an aspect of the city he is from, in his designs. His collections are progressive, yet have an element of tradition in them. "My loyalty towards Rajasthan will always influence my designs," he says proudly.

Shraddha Kapoor picked out a printed  lehenga for the promotions of Stree.

Mira Rajput Kapoor opted for a creation by the designer for a close friend's wedding.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra looked radiant in a sunshine yellow saree by Punit Balana for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.

Big on comfort, the designer aims to explore athleisure soon! Athleisure wear is "Here to stay since it's so big on comfort. It is also a very important part of my personality. I would love to introduce a line dedicated to athleisure wear for men and women.

For someone who is constantly creating, inspiration plays a huge part in new collections. For Balana, Jaipur, the city he started out in, never fails to inspire him. "Even today, this city excites me and a lot of my inspiration comes from since it is a hoarder of culture. It keeps adding to the already existing rich culture and its essence of history never seems to fade away. Over the years that I have been designing, I’ve come to the realisation that Jaipur is, perhaps, in everything that I do. My designs are a potpourri of all the fascinating memories I have of Jaipur. It’s about finding my self through the city I have grown to love," he smiles.

Kareena Kapoor Khan looked every bit royal in a white and gold sharara set by the designer.

Karisma Kapoor played showstopper for Balana in a monochrome printed indo-western outfit.

Aditi Rao Hydari looked ethereal in a block printed white and blue sharara set by the designer.

With some of the A-listers of Bollywood picking out  for events, we are curious about one celebrity he hasn't seen in his creations but would love to. "It is my dream to dress Deepika Padukone. I would also love to dress Jennifer Lopez who has been my childhood crush," he gushes before letting us into his dream collaborations as well. 

New girl on the block Shanaya Kapoor looked pretty in a floral  lehenga for an event.

credits-pinkvilla.com