We know it as the dye that gave us our favourite pair of jeans. Or the colour placed second in line in a rainbow. It even finds a mention in Goethe's 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Werther where a character dons a dress coat in that colour. It is also designer Priyadarshini Rao's new Autumn Winter line — Indigo. This collection is the result of a trip to the Himalayas where the vast expanse of the skies and the seas inspired her to come up with something ethereal.
"I've wanted to work with indigo for a long time and my trip, which spanned over five to six months, made me want to capture the many shades of indigo onto fine, diaphanous fabrics. This is my ode to the colour," she explains and adds, "When you're high up, you tend to see many layers. For example, the colour of a lake is visible behind the translucent layer of mist — that made me recreate the colours and intricate details.”
Since Indigo is all about nature, Priyadarshini goes a step further and uses natural fabrics for the collection, which comprises of dresses, tunics, saris and skirts. "I've always used only natural fabrics or sometimes regenerative ones but never polyester. The current trend where polyester is used a lot doesn't excite me. As a textile designer, weaving excites me and since I am environmentally conscious as well, there’s no chemical dye also,” she says. As a result, the Indigo line consists of fabrics such as Chanderi, mul, organza, chiffon and georgette.
The designer has been in the industry for nearly two decades and is thankful for having learnt a lot along the way. "When I started, I was 25, and at that time, there was a lot more embracing of talent than networking through public relations or advertising like it is today, and that helped me create a foundation for myself. I am very old school and I believe that as a designer your clothes need to speak for themselves," she says. She likes the place she is in now and lives life on her own terms.
Chennai for her, along with Mumbai, is the biggest market, and she is of the opinion that business is all about relationships rather than money. "There are people who walk into Collage (where her collection is on display) and they just come for me; it's heartening to note that women enjoy wearing my clothes," she says.
Her brand Mineral and her eponymous label currently keep the designer busy. "I'm very much a product person; I'm not very fond of the process of retailing which I find to be dragging." Although she isn't in favour of a "label that's available easily", Priyadarshini does admit that co-branded pricing points (with websites) are beneficial to the common buyer. Label and boutiques apart, she has also collaborated with websites like Stylista and is planning an ethnic wear line with another.
