HYDERABAD: The Lakme Fashion Week’s festive preview held at elahe, saw young designers showcase their labels, with a great deal of confidence. As they take on the world of designing, they tell us about their passion, USP and how they deal with competition.
Minimalistic feel
Designer couple Paras Modi and Sonam have their baby son as companion in all their travels. It was no different when they came to Hyderabad. “We are managing and our baby travels with us everywhere. We have a little space for him in the office where we look after him,” states Sonam. Their Mumbai-based brand SVA, a Sankrit word which means ‘Soul’, they hope, will touch women’s soul with the clothes.
Their Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016 line was a ’20s inspired collection. “We’ve used motifs of art and decor, intricate embroidery and our own hand-woven fabrics like brocades; the colour palette for this season is midnight blue, burgundy, blush pink, black and off-white,” explains Paras. The designers are also known for using only custom-made fabric. “We do try to stand out by using different techniques, like the use of our own hand woven fabrics. We don’t buy fabric from outside. That is our USP as it gives a very minimalistic feel to the whole collection. That is why the clients come back to us,” beams Paras.
The husband-and-wife duo share that passion for designing has brought them together. “We both complement each other and our design sensibilities and ideas are very much in sync. There are some differences but we want it that way because it gives us time to double check everything that we are doing. In the end, we manage to come to a conclusion,” states Sonam as they look forward to more fashion weeks.
Slice of history
With its forts, palaces and monuments, Jaipur is a history lover’s delight. Bringing a slice of history and tradition in their creations are husband-and-wife duo Rahul and Shikha. Their label Vrisa is three-year-old and is inspired from the glorious tradition. “Our clothes have a relevance to the past. Our motto has been to revive. Reviving doesn’t mean going to weavers or the craftsmen because artisans who have done the old crafts are no more.
We try to showcase our history,” states Shikha. Their collection ‘Ahir’ is the nomadic collection. “The embroidery is inspired from the old Pichwai paintings. The mochi embroidery which was originally done by the mochi tribes. We are always inspired by the art and crafts of our textiles. We take the inspiration and play it in our textiles and create our own textures,” she adds.
Shikha affirms it is their love for old art forms which has brought the couple together. “Designers have their own technique and thought process. We love old art forms and love to speak about it. Every woman has the right to look beautiful. Our cuts and patterns are created for women of different sizes,” she points out.
Shikha’s face lights up when she talks about celebrities who have worn their clothes. “Of late, Bollywood has also begun understanding the kind of work we do. A lot of other designers are also working on sustainable fashion. Deepika and Kareena Kapoor have worn our clothes for different events. We are trying to talk in a new language through our clothes and people enjoy it,” she concludes.
Of vintage influences
Kiran Jaisinghani and Meghna Agarwal worked with designer Priyadarshini Rao for a year before they started their brand Myoho. “There is a lot of vintage influence so we have a lot of drama but it is understated. for the buyer who doesn’t like embroidery; nothing too heavy and wants to keep it light yet festive,” states Kiran. Myoho is a Buddhist chant. “It is the Japanese word which means domestic energies of the universe. As a label, we want out clothing to have a certain calmness. It is not in your face. It is just meant to make the wearer comfortable for who she is and bring that out in her personality,” she explains. Is there a clash of ideas between the two designers? “Not really,” she says and explains, “It is surprising how our aesthetic is so common and meets so often. It astounds us even now after nine years we go through a zillion fabrics and we both like that one exact fabric; We can complete each other’s sentences and temperamentally also we are similar. We both are calm and not overtly aggressive.”
She observes how social media offers an easy platform to reach out. “Every city now has a lot of designers, labels and couturiers maybe unlike six years ago. With social media giving an easy platform to connect, it is very easy to start your label. It also keeps us on our toes,” she shares as they plan to take the label to an international level as well.
