Shilpa Vummiti cannot help but laugh a little at how her idea for her summer collection came out of the blue. But, then again, the Chennai-based designer believes that as clichéd as it sounds, inspiration can strike at odd times. It was when Shilpa was colouring Easter eggs with her son, during the lockdown, that she envisioned a collection that was painted by hand. “The painted colours on the eggs reminded me of fabric swatches, and soon I found myself playing around and experimenting with paints and fabric,” offers Shilpa Vummiti, who recently unveiled her S/S ’20 line, Splatter on her Instagram handle.
Featuring multi-hued speckles and splatters of paint as the leitmotif, the collection currently has seven styles in the form of separates. The silhouettes are easy and free-flowing, with comfort being given paramount importance. “You will not find a constricting straight cut silhouette through the collection. The designs lean towards being comfort fits. Something that you can wear during the summer,” she explains. However, the line of dresses, skirts, pants, blouses and unisex shirts are far from being anti-fit. Crisp, clean lines find their way into the collection in the form of collar detailing, while cinched waists and balloon sleeves add to the drama. “It is the use of light-weight and sheer fabrics like georgette along with cotton that lends the feeling of being easy-to-wear and flowy.”
Predominantly in shades of white, Shilpa tells us that she is currently working with limited resources and plans to throw a little more colour into the mix once she can procure more fabric. Easy, pastel shades, perhaps. “But, for now, you can expect to see more of a black and white monochrome,” she says, adding that the collection is still a work-in-progress, thanks to the lockdown. Offering us a sneak peek of what the completed line will look like, we learn that Splatter will also make use of thread embroidery, hand-painted motifs and self-printed fabrics to add a level of depth to the surface textures.
Splatter is available online and in-store (based on prior appointment) and is priced from Rs 5,000 onwards.