An Indian childhood inspires Bibhu Mohapatra for Fashion Week

In his airy studio near New York's Times Square, Bibhu Mohapatra drapes some sequined Spanish mesh fabric over a US size-two mannequin and lets fashion magic happen.

"It reminds me of my childhood in India, where you'd put up mosquito nets at night, but with a little glitter in it," the 41-year-old designer says. "It's sheer, but it drapes beautifully, so I'm trying to figure out how to utilise it."

Such scenes of creative experimentation have been unfolding in fashion houses big and small for the spring 2014 collections that started coming down the runway in New York last Thursday.

More than 300 shows and presentations are on the schedule at Lincoln Centre and other venues, before the fashion spotlight swings over to London, Milan, and Paris.

Mohapatra will send out his latest creations for the namesake label on Wednesday, but if he's feeling the pressure, he doesn't show it. In a black T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, he's a serene presence in the 11th floor studio/showroom/atelier where he employs seven people full time, up from two when he started out nearly five years ago.

"It's been really quite an interesting journey," he says. "As long as you're open to learning, then you can really build something."