is name stands out in the world of elite fashion designers. But here’s a secret. Shahab actually started out by doing sketches of cars! Girish Karkera uncovers more.

“I like the smooth, flowing lines of the Astra. They are neat and clean,pretty much like my designs.”

NEAT, CLEAN AND tidy. That’s how noted dress designer Shahab Durazi likes life to be. These qualities reflect in his work and almost every aspect of his life — his cars included.

Actually, he caught us — snapper Ashley and myself — unawares when he reached on the dot for the 2:30pm interview at Worli. Something we don’t experience often with many, forget just celebrities. “I’m impressed,” were Ashley’s words as we climbed out of our car, a shade embarrassed.

And it’s not only about precision timing, it’s precision engineering as well. The German-bred Opel Astra is the car you can see him moving around in. “It’s less than a year old,” said Shahab as he posed for us. “And I’m pretty happy with it. It’s quite sturdy and hasn’t developed any rattles like my earlier cars.” It replaced his previous set of wheels, a Daewoo Cielo. “The Astra is a solidly built car. It’s comfortable and excellent on the highways. I’ve been on some trips out of Mumbai with my family and everyone seems to like it.”

A family man to the core, but is he a ‘car guy’?

“I like cars but I don’t know much about them,” he admits sheepishly but honestly. Not surprisngly, it is the design aspect of the car that enthralls him the most.

“As a kid, I’ve been pretty enamoured with cars. I used to sketch cars even before I became a fashion designer. I aspired to be an automobile designer but it never happened. But I’ve really enjoyed the experience. Some of the best times I’ve had is to just sit back and sketch a couple of cars. I do it even today.”

Shahab doesn’t know the technical aspect of car designing but he enjoys dwelling on their aesthetics. His dream car list includes the Jaguar XJS, the new BMW 3 series and the new E-class. “Very good- looking cars.” Interestingly, Shahab has a passion for Mercedes (another German marque).

“My family owned a couple of Mercs. We had a 230.4 and a 280. But that was quite some time back. We’ve sold them now.”

Shahab likes sedans and makes no bones about admitting that no fancy sports cars for him.

“I like typical four-door saloon cars. No two-doors or coupes for me.” Which means he doesn’t like to speed. “Yeah, you could say that. But I did manage 150 (kph) on the Expressway once with this Astra. It was a good experience but I think this car could do with a slightly bigger engine, especially considering its weight.” But that’s something that doesn’t bother him much.

Shahab gets his dose of auto enlightenment from younger sibling Iqbal . “He’s madly into cars. In fact, it was Iqbal who suggested I buy the Astra.” He sure knows his brother’s taste.

Cars are often topics of discussion between the two brothers.

“We’re usually talking about the cars we would like to buy, not that we’ll go out and buy one.” Hey, no harm in talking.

What about bikes?

“Oh no, no bikes for me,” says Shahab flatly and we get the hint to steer the topic back to his cars.
So what’s his honest opinion about the Astra’s design?

“Maybe it looks a bit dated but I like the smooth, flowing lines. They are neat and clean, pretty much like my designs”.

And what about his next car?

“Of the current breed, I like the Skoda Octavia a lot.”

When’s he buying one?

“Not yet. It will be some time before I can think of selling this one.”