Designer Seethai Bagavathi loves to leave you guessing when it comes to design inspiration for her creations, especially if you’re drawing hints from the titles of her collections. First, there was Love Letters from the Past (Vol 1), a collection that could have easily been spurred by an anthology of love poems. But instead, it was an ode to her childhood. So now, with her latest ready-to-wear collection, Shooting Stars, we cannot help but wonder what the title alludes to. “This line holds deep personal meaning for me. I got married earlier this year, and our love story began with a date where both of us wished upon a shooting star. The collection is a sartorial celebration of this memory,” shares the 29-year-old.
A scrapbook of memories and highlights from her courtship and honeymoon travel, the motifs include hearts, flowers and elephants on traditional Jamdani weaves. Some garments even feature Seethai’s favourite cartoon mouse, inspired by a trip to Disneyland in Paris. “Apart from these obvious motifs, I’ve incorporated architectural elements from the Colosseum and translated this into checkered patterns,” explains the NIFT Chennai graduate.
In line with the overarching theme, shades like deep red and indigo capture the essence of romance, while the ivory and yellow add character to the collection that has a limited colour palette. Conceived as an on-the-go edit, the collection is defined by its easy-to-wear, no-fuss aesthetic that can either be mixed and matched with existing wardrobe staples or layered with pieces from the line. Look out for separates like dresses, tunics, kurtas, crop tops, pants and co-ord sets in breezy A-line cuts with pleated yokes, tassels and buttoned-down sleeves in muslin and khadi.
Talking about the year that was, Seethai tells us that though the lockdown forced her to give up her Alwarpet storefront, the label is now registered in New Jersey and will operate internationally too. “The idea behind the brand was to give the Indian craft of Jamdani a global outlook and this is a step forward for the brand.” Looking at diversifying her product line for the foreign market, the Chennai-based designer, who has so far only dabbled with the Bengali weave, is working towards collaborations with wool weavers in the Himachal region.
Collection starts at Rs 3,500.
— Rebecca Vargese
rebecca@newindianexpress.com
@rebecca_vargese