Designer Payal Khandwala unveils her latest collection, Kama, which borrows from the stories of Lord Kamadeva

Designer Payal Khandwala has always believed in weaving a story through her creations, and this time, she has borrowed from Hindu mythology to do the same. Her Spring/Summer 2019 collection, titled Kama, is based on the Hindu god of love and desire. “The idea was to interpret his story in a less literal, and more contemporary way and to thread together clothes and accessories that echoed this feeling, of new life and love,” informs the Parson School of Design graduate, whose latest designs are now available
at Ogaan.

In the scriptures, Kamadeva is depicted as a young man, wielding a bow made of sugarcane and arrows decorated with jasmine flowers, among others. “So the motif this season is the jasmine flower. We made the jasmine both graphic and minimal, in all its stages from a bud to blossom. We played with size to make the pattern look floral, but also scaled the buds down and used repetition to make them look like faux stripes and checks,” says the designer known for reimagining ethnic Indian wear. She has used handwoven khadi, linen, cotton, cotton-silk and silks in a palette of soft blush pink, powder blue and jade punctuated with a pop of mustard, leaf green, crimson and a coffee bean brown.

In a way, the palette too is a recreation of the mythical settings — the green from Kamadeva’s skin and red from the blooms accentuate the subtle shades of ivory and jade from the jasmine flower. This collection, we feel, is has more dramatic than Payal’s previous designs.The best bit though is that you can look forward to a lot of separates with the added drama of capes.

The designer says that she wanted to design clothes that you could throw over already existing pieces, not just from her label, but also with existing wardrobe staples likes jeans, shorts and skirts. “That’s why I focused on lengths, volume and details which would allow that,” says the Mumbai-based designer, adding that she has included elements like buttons that could be left open to reveal layers underneath, light capes and jackets that you could layer with ease.

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The collection was also designed keeping in mind the rising mercury. “The prints allowed us to work with a soft palette and a strong graphic. This set the tone for the silhouettes. Our signature shapes are in a subtle palette, draped and pleated for the drama, but relaxed and easy to wear,” says Payal.

Rs  5,500 onwards.  
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