Where does the apple fall, if not under the tree? From a family with nearly 125 years of association with handlooms (since the time his great grandfather was the textile minister in the Nizam’s cabinet to starting a textile business in 1926), it was inevitable that 32-year-old Sailesh Singhania would spend a life with the loom as his muse.
With a sound technical education in textile engineering from Salem Institute, the designer worked with the family business (Singhania’s, the sari store) for a decade understanding fabric. Recalling the time he spent at his family’s store, Sailesh says, “My education was very technical which gave a thorough understanding of textiles but working really helped gain knowledge about design, colour combination and cut.”
Having started his own brand two years back, the Sailesh Singhania line is all about luxury handloom saris. Passionate about handlooms which he says is India’s greatest heritage he works with 22 different weaves ranging from khadi jamdanis and mulberry silks to Telangana’s very own Gadwal and Pochampally silks. He describes his love affair with the loom when he says, “My whole idea behind working with handlooms is to give it the importance it deserves. In Europe handcrafted products like Chantilly lace are appreciated and revered but we ignore an industry that provides the highest employment in the country after agriculture. Handloom is an integral part of our culture, Khadi has been around since the time of Buddha and one needs to understand its significance.”
Sailesh says that he ensures that he uses traditional textiles in a contemporary manner – his Gadwal silks have contrasting borders, he gets silver silk weaving from a village named Pranpur in MP and for Pochampally he uses ektara silk to ensure that the feel, fall and finish is changed. With handlooms being the buzzword nationally, thanks to the push given by government and designers, Sailesh explains how he ensures his creations are one of a kind, “In my design embellishments are added only on handlooms, we don’t add surface orientation to ensure that nothing takes away from the natural beauty of the weave. The focus is only on the fabric. Secondly, we dabble with different colours so that the clothes are appealing.”
Having been a part of Lakme Fashion week this year where he presented his Khadi sari line titled Actuality of Consonance inspired by nature, the designer signs off by revealing that in his upcoming collection he uses pure mulberry silk with bridal colours like red and hot pink. With a restrained aesthetic and eye for innovation, this young Hyderabadi joins the growing tribe of designers reviving handlooms and transforming it into high end couture.
