Three years after she turned designer, Shilpa Reddy will be showcasing at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2013. She isn’t going through the rigmarole of making her way up from the ‘talent box’ category to ‘emerging designers’ and finally the MSA or ‘main showcase area’. She will be making a splash at the MSA in her very first Fashion Week outing, showcasing her collection on the opening day, August 23.
“We are all excited,” says Shilpa. She lauds her kaarigars who’ve been working extra time despite the month of Ramzan. “They are working late night and at times falling asleep at the production house. I cannot thank them enough,” she says.
Shilpa clams up when we quiz her on her collection: “It’s a bit early to reveal the details. It’s going to be a strong, dramatic collection. I’ll be experimenting with silhouettes and there will be a lot of embroidery,” she says.
In the last three years, she has been building her brand one step at a time and says Fashion Week was in her scheme of things, but she never fathomed it would crystallise so soon. “I attended LFW in March to cheer Asmita Marwa, Anushree Reddy and Suhani Pittie. I’ve been part of LFW as a model more than three years ago. This time, I was curious to see the changes up close. I also happened to write a blogpost for ‘Fashion Most Wanted’ on a friend’s request. Towards the end of the passage, I had mentioned that I’d be glad to return as a designer sometime,” recalls Shilpa.
End of April, Shilpa received a call from ING Reliance, which has partnered with LFW: “The lady had done her bit of research on my brand and said they’d want me to be a part of LFW. I thought it was a prank call. Only weeks later when I received an application with the official logos did I believe it.”
Working on her collection, Shilpa is a bundle of nerves. “One reason I wanted to go slow was to spend some more time with my son, who is just turning three.”
As always, her USP will be the immaculate finish of the garments. “Design is more passion than business for me. I enjoy the process of creating something beautiful.”
