How a Colaba designer ended up designing for one of the most famous bands in the world
In 2009, when fashion designer Rajesh Aiya walked out of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), he saw singer, bassist and Michael’s Jackson’s brother, Jermaine, waiting for him in a black Rolls-Royce Phantom. “Although I was there to meet Jermaine, I did not expect him to turn up at the airport to pick me up. There was no chauffer. He was driving the car himself,” he recalls.
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Aiya says reds, purple and gold are favourites with the Jacksons
Seeing Aiya’s expression, Jermaine good-naturedly slapped his back and said, “I had nothing better to do; I thought let’s put myself to good use.”
The two headed for Jacksons’ sprawling villa in LA, where Jermaine’s then wife Halima prepared a vegetarian meal of savoury quiche and baked vegetables. “While we were discussing the costumes, she was in the kitchen cutting watermelon. These are things you expect from close friends, and that’s who they became,” says the Colaba resident, who has dressed The Jackson 5 for a decade.
Tito, Jackie, Marlon and Jermaine Jackson perform at The Henley Festival in 2014, England. Pic/Getty Images
The official dressmaker to Michael Jackson’s brothers, Jermaine, Marlon, Jackie and Tito, is busy figuring what they will wear next January when the legendary and controversial four complete 50 years of showbiz. The siblings plan to celebrate the landmark with a concert tour. “All of them prefer glamorous, slightly over-the-top outfits. They normally opt for reds, purple, gold and black. Anything with detailed embroidery is good,” says Aiya, whose last major stint with the Jacksons was during the the Seven City French Tour in 2014 where he accompanied them to Bordeaux, Paris and Nice.
Jermaine wears a gota patti work sherwani by Rajesh Aiya
He remembers how once, at an opulent French opera house, Jermaine wished to wear an outfit reminiscent of Louis XVI. After several weeks of research, Aiya presented a velvet jacket with French embroidery and gota patti work from Rajasthan, with oxidized gold work to the singer. “Even in the presence of the crème de la creme of French society who were in their black ties and tails, he pulled it off without looking out of place,” he says.
Aiya says he is going to use inspiration from Michael Jackson’s dressing for the January Jackson concert tour wardrobe
Aiya’s collaboration with the music family began in 2007 when the brothers were in Mumbai to shortlist a designer for their upcoming tour. “I was at my studio in Fort, and got a call from his manager that I needed to be at a hotel near Sahar airport in the next 20 minutes because Jermaine had to leave.” Stunned, he made a dash, although there was no way he would make it through Mumbai’s traffic. “I requested for more time, but they refused,” he remembers. Disappointed, Aiya decided to return to his office, when he received a call from the same woman. “This time, in a very benevolent tone, she told me that the Jacksons have loved my designs, are were willing to wait to see me. It was destiny!”
A sketch of the outfit that Rajesh Aiya plans to create for the Jacksons
Having spent several months with them on tours, and at their homes during rehearsals, Aiya says he shares a rapport that goes beyond professional ties. “All of them are grounded, which I believe stems from their humble beginnings. They were so badly off, that their mother would give them only potato for lunch. They could never afford meat,” he says.
Michael and his siblings were born to an African-American couple in Indiana. Joe was steelworker, who played the guitar in a local blues band. His mother, Katherine worked at a department store, and played the piano and clarinet beautifully. They sang at black clubs and at local auditoriums until they were signed by Motown in 1969. MJ was quickly singled out as the star, and while his solo career peaked in the 1970s, the Jackson 5 were on a decline.
In Untouchable: The Strange Life And Tragic Death of Michael Jackson, Randall Sullivan wrote how the family tried squeezing MJ at every opportunity. Most of them lived off dole that came from him every month to Katherine.
Following his death, Sullivan writes, MJ’s sister LaToyah emerged from his Carolwood Drive chateau in Los Angeles where he died in June 2009 with garbage bags stuffed with cash. At the time, the press was abuzz with reports of the family arriving to ransack the home.
In his will, MJ had left 40 per cent of his estate held in a trust to his children Prince, Paris, and Blanket. Another 20 went to charities and the remainder would remain with Katherine, who would be guardian to his three kids until her death.
But Aiya rubbishes media reports that label the family dysfunctional, and discuss the strained relationship MJ shared with his siblings. “Which family doesn’t see squabbles? All siblings fight; that doesn’t mean they hate each other,” he says.
A couple of years ago, Jermaine took Aiya to their ancestral home in LA where the brothers grew up. “He opened Michael’s room. Here, on the bathroom mirror, Michael, in one of his clairvoyant moments, had scribbled the sales record that his album, Thriller would break. Seeing that mirror gave me goosebumps,” he says.
Incidentally, Thriller, which released in December 1982, earned him more than $200 million from sales.
Interestingly, Aiya has decided to make MJ his inspiration, alleged strained relations or not. Paying tribute to the pop icon’s unique dressing style, he will incorporate into their wardrobe his signature military-style jacket and iconic cropped black pants. “When it came to fashion, Michael was fearless — pushing boundaries and daring to wear what no one else would. So, whether they like it or not, I’m going to squeeze in a bit of MJ’s soul into their outfits.”
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