To mother, with love

Anupama Dayal presented a collection as a gift to her ailing mother

Anupama Dayal

For Anupama Dayal this year came with a mixed bag of emotions. On the professional front, she was ecstatic as after a decade as a designer she finally got an opportunity to participate in the finale of the Amazon India Fashion Week over the weekend, but on the personal side she got the shock of her life when her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson Plus syndrome. Instead of getting bogged down with depression and disillusionment, she made a collection as a tribute to her bedridden mother .

Speaking at her store in Delhi’s Khan Market, Anupama opens up about her design sensibilities and personal life.

Finally after 11 years as a designer you were invited by FDCI to showcase three of your outfits in the finale.

I am happy that my work was showcased with leading designers of the country. However, more than the finale it was the Manjula collection which was important. This is a very personal thing. This year did not start well for me. Manjula, my mother, was diagnosed with Parkinson Plus syndrome and I saw the changes in her. She lives in Kolkata with my father. The news made me realise the contributions she has been making to my work. It made me retrospect. We live knowing that our parents are our anchors. Since childhood she has been guiding me. As a textile designer she has been a source of inspiration. After the doctor informed me about her ailment I suddenly realised that I am on my own.

Why did you not present the Manjula collection in the finale?

In the finale there were 16 designers. Each had to showcase three dresses. How would I have fitted the spirit of my mother in just three dresses? Out of 60 outfits that I designed for the collection we selected 20 for the ramp.I have given an interesting name to each to relive my mother’s interests. My mother is characterised by a deep sense of connectivity with Indian roots. As an expert on fabrics, she would teach me about textiles, motifs and nature. She has always kept the doors open. She would do batik all along and there was richness of culture which I was exposed to. For her generation she was miles ahead. Since my father was in the Army, we kept shifting. When my father got posted to Jammu I learnt how Dogri jhumka is made. When we were in Andhra I mastered different Ikkat techniques. In Kashmir we would get mesmerised watching how the locals would do the wooden carvings and work on fine Pashmina.

I also lived in Sikkim and speak Nepali fluently. I am actually a child of the country! What I absorbed while staying in different regions I feel I must express. I had a nomadic childhood and all that learning has helped me as a designer. I speak six languages. My familiarity with the country has helped me shape Himalayan flowers to Islamic graphics on my creations.

What kind of silhouettes have you used in Manjula collection?

Silhouettes are long and short, very easy and not tight-fitted. They are neither Indian nor Western. Like my clothes that I wear it is hard to classify them. My clothes are wearable in any context and in any part of the world. Dresses are more daring than I normally do.