Designer Vaishali Shadangule recently organised a retrospective couture showcase of her label Vaishali S called Naad: The Sound of the Looms, in the presence of the Minister of Textiles, Giriraj Singh, in Delhi. The couturier takes us through the splendid edit in this exclusive chat after the show.
Tell us all about your collection Naad in detail.
Naad is the sound that my label wants to create, to showcase to the world what handloom is capable of doing. And to show that, I have chosen to tell the story of my life, that has taken me across various states to discover different weaves, colours, and categories of garments. I also wanted to showcase how all my creations are always deeply rooted in the heritage of our culture. You have seen my transformation journey from fashion weeks to the heights of creativity of the Paris Haute Couture, to a more structured Western bridal and finally to the Indian bridal. But all these transformations have always been the Vaishali S way. I have used several weaves from different states including paithani from Maharashtra, khun from Karnataka, jamdani from West Bengal, and maheshwari from Madhya Pradesh, among others. All silhouettes are an outcome of the fine blending three totally different forces that I always use, the gentle flow of my cording technique, the structured corsets, and the 4D, sudden-sharp shapes. But what I have been mindful of is that all of them have been created through the traditional Indian draping techniques.
What’s the idea behind this collection?
This collection is to show the world that top luxury designs can be created with our indigenous handwoven fabrics.
How did you select the colour palette?
That happens typically in two stages, where in the first I work at the fabric stage, choosing colours and weaves and having them made. Then again during the time of creating the collection and that is driven by pure instinct.
Tell us how the wedding and festive occasion fashion choices evolved over the years?
They actually didn’t evolve much, and Indians are still very much anchored to traditional outfits and colours. In recent times, it has slowly started to change and I am happy to see that young brides are gradually shifting to slightly more creative choices. As a result, my corded lehenga has started to find more and more passionate wearers.
What’s your design philosophy and what inspires you?
My primary design philosophy is to give luxury branding to the handwoven fabrics of India. My process involves a two-way approach—one that takes care of the fabrics as explained above, and the other that creates the final garments. This latter approach is always inspired by nature. All my creations are either a pictorial or an abstract recreation of different aspects of nature and of her energy flow.
How have you evolved as a designer?
Dramatically. This evolution has been enabled either by personal life experiences, professional exposures, or cumulative introspections generated by these abstract representations of what I perceive of nature. Each of my collections is also another step forward towards a seamless process of self-exploration.
For the first time you have unveiled five menswear looks. Tell us about that.
These menswear creations were a perfect complement for this process of showing the hand weaves across categories.
Will there be a full-fledged menswear section from your house, now?
Not yet. I still have a lot to explore in womenswear.
What about having your own high jewellery section?
I am sure we will come out with that too, one day.
What are your plans for the label going forward?
A lot of plans are there but it’s too early to talk about them. For the time being, strengthening the positioning of my Paris store at 188 Boulevard Saint Germain, tops the list.
What are some must-haves for the bride’s and groom’s wardrobe?
Above all, it should be led by good taste!