Lovechild: How Masaba Gupta built a brand on authenticity and self-love

“The most audaciously named beauty label in the Indian lifestyle market, Lovechild turns Masaba’s own identity—once framed as a scandal in her mother Neena Gupta’s life—into brand. It reframes stigma as strength.”

—Shefalee Vasudev, Stories We Wear: Status, Spectacle and the Politics of Appearance

When Masaba Gupta won the most promising designer award at the Lakme Fashion Week at 19, one of her submissions was a sari: bold, colourful and cheerful. It set the tone for what her fashion label, House of Masaba, would represent—a playful and unconventional aura. So much so that Masaba (often interpreted to mean princess, an African-origin name her father Sir Vivian Richards chose) is now called the Queen of Prints.

While her creativity got her recognition, it is her candid nature that drives her brand. This was evident at the Mpowering Minds Summit 2026.

“I don't think that I ever set out... to make this my life's mission—talking about my difficulties and, in that, sort of helping other women and other people find their way,” she said during a fireside chat with journalist Shweta Punj. “It comes naturally. My mother raised me to wear my heart on my sleeve. I think we do the people around us a great service when we are ourselves because then we allow them to be themselves.” This, she said, has only helped her. “So, being vulnerable is a superpower. I know a lot of people see it as weakness, but I see it as a big strength.”

When the conversation turned to ambition, she laughed at her own evolution. At three months post-partum, she felt women could have it all. Today, 16 months post-partum, her view has shifted. “It depends on your support system and the privilege of choice,” she said. “We have to stagger ambition in order to have it all.” She offered an image: life as a stove with four burners—friends, family, work and health. All of them could not be aflame at the same time. “Today, friends have taken a backseat... my priority is work, my baby and my health. All three are closely linked. If I'm not healthy, I can't take care of my child or work. If I'm not feeling at my best in my work, I know that I won't be a great mom at home, and vice versa.”

She returned to work 10 days after giving birth and calls it the poorest decision of her life. “[For new mothers] mental rest is much more important than physical rest,” she said. Self-care and self-love, she said, are the highest forms of self-respect. “Especially for women because we don't give it to ourselves,” she added. “I've been taking time [for] self-preservation, to last longer. I want to work and be healthy and care for my daughter for a long time. I don't want to burn out. I think we've glorified that for too long.”

She clarified she was not talking about work-life balance as it is often discussed. “It's not something that's bookish,” she said. “I think that you have to find within your life, challenges and circumstances what that balance is.”

After a childhood that was unconventional by Indian norms—her birth certificate was leaked on the day she was born—sport helped her to stay focused. For a few years as a young professional, tennis taught her self-discipline and the skill of self-talk. “The amount of self-talk that goes into building yourself up... on the court is magical and I think that really builds you up for the rest of your life,” said the 37-year-old. “Today, whenever I'm feeling down or there are uncertainties, I dip into sport. That's my therapy. Every young person should play a sport.”