In 2018, when Yadvi Agarwal debuted her collection on the Indian ramp as a part of her Lakmé Fashion Week Gen Next launch, the then 28-year-old put on display her love for the visual culture of Paris. Noticeable from the first glance, this inspiration could be seen in the form of her unique motifs that looked at Indian block printing techniques through a French impressionistic perspective. Now, while the New Delhi-based designer has honed this surface technique as her most identifiable signature, a closer look at Yadvi’s preceding collections reveal that her fondness for Paris goes beyond the most apparent, influencing the smallest details in her design. “I know it is a cliché that Paris is my muse, and sometimes I even make fun of myself. But, I feel that the city has a personality, and it draws you in,” she offers, talking about how the city has influenced the aesthetic of her brand Yavi.

We’ll always have Paris
Transposing the sights and surroundings from Paris into her latest line, her Festive 2020 collection, Pockets Full of Sunshine, draws inspiration from the love locks on the Pont des Arts. “I imagined what it would be like if the locks were flowers, and these flowers were stuffed into pockets and carefully patched together.”

This translates into floral motifs that are seen as either impressionistic prints or adda embroidery and trims made of crochet, pearls and beads in an earthy mix of colours. Exuding a Parisian chic vibe, the collection includes slip and shirt dresses, blouses, shrugs, jackets, coats and scarves in soft fabrics like hand-loomed cotton, linen and silk organza.

Home bound
However, what has our attention in this collection that possesses all the hallmarks of a quintessential Yavi line is that it strays from the brand’s staple silhouettes and moves to an ethnic space. In an attempt to explore and reach a larger Indian demographic, the designer — whose pieces have found a home in museums across the world including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art In New York — now offers a range of lightweight, flirty saris. “The domestic market is dominated by trousseau, and Yavi is looking to find an inspirational space in every bride-to-be’s wardrobe,” she says.  

While expanding into home furnishings are on the cards, immediate plans for Yadvi include the launch of her S/S ’21. “The collection is called Second Sight. It deals with the extrasensory perception, the power to perceive things that are not understood by the five senses.”

Rs 7,000 onwards. At Collage.

—  Rebecca Vargese
 rebecca@newindianexpress
 @rebecca_vargese