Going by history, designer Sunita Shanker loves to take a step back and launch her collections away from the public eye. Ahead of her showcase at the Lakmé Fashion Week in 2017, the designer had taken a 10-year hiatus from the ramp, working on new releases all the while. Now, by the looks of her ’gram page, the Mumbai-based designer seems to have pulled off something similar on her social media ahead of the launch of her A/W line, A Winter Tale. “This year, we decided to rethink strategies. Since I, personally, post the creatives on my handles, I decided I wanted to spend more of my time working on designs for upcoming lines and travelling to other craft clusters. I think, this year, I have managed to create a lot more than I usually would,” begins the designer, whose 25-year-old label is synonymous with the traditional crafts of Rajasthan, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
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Behind the seams
Crediting her latest line to this introspective downtime, the Delhi-based designer tells us that A Winter Tale consciously mixes two of her preferred craft forms — bandhani and kantha. To that end, the line offsets the use of her signature tie and dye in floral motifs with thread embroidery and prints. “We have not only made use of kantha as a running stitch, but it is a motif in itself on many of the ensembles,” shares the NIFT graduate.
Beyond blue
Exploring a larger gamut of colour, it would seem as if the designer is going beyond the brand’s ubiquitous use of indigo, ivory and black by including a palette of jewelled hues like burgundy and midnight green. “I have always gravitated towards using more blues in my collections. Addressing this concern, A Winter Tale takes on a new direction in terms of colours, as well.” A range of jackets, kimonos, dresses and tunics, the line that predominantly uses cotton and Chanderi silk, also extends to shirts, pintuck trousers and scarves.
Collection starts at `7,500. Scarves at `2,300 onwards. A Winter Tale will be available at Amethyst till December 20.