To understand Hemant Trevedi, you have to begin in the paradoxical present and gently peel off the plucky past. And so, this piece begins at the end of our 60-minute interview; Trevedi in a bejeweled pair of spectacles standing slightly hunched, his hands held together, waiting patiently with this writer for the elevator door to open, before he says goodbye.

On an uncharacteristic Tuesday, this interview is scheduled at the studio-office of Purple Style Labs (PSL) in Vile Parle. Uncharacteristic, because Mumbai’s dark curtain of rain decides to wear a diaphanous blue veil on the day. And because it is one of Trevedi’s first media meetings after the launch of his eponymous label since PSL secured the rights to the label, Trevedi will act as creative director of the business vertical. “This time, it’s not Hemant Trevedi for PSL or Hemant Trevedi for SDS, like it was in the past when I played the role of consultant. To have my own label at this late a stage of my life is quite amazing,” he thinks.