Ast the only Indian woman to grace the coveted Paris Haute Couture Week since 2021, Vaishali Shadangule continues to captivate the global stage with her eponymous label, celebrated for its unique craft-based textures and unwavering commitment to sustainability, as she unveils her latest collection - I am Nature. "Showcasing my edits at the Paris Haute Couture Week is always the peak of my creative journey of the season, a place where, not only you are free to create for its own sake, but you are also requested: it is the only place where you feel your artiste side fully appreciated if conjugated with the highest quality of materials and workmanship." Vaishali begins.
The genesis of her collection for Paris Haute Couture Week Spring/Summer 2024 finds inspiration in the enchanting landscapes of Sardinia, the second-largest isle in the Mediterranean Sea and the mesmerising Daymaniyat Islands off the coast of Oman. Her designs echo the harmonious dance between rugged coastlines, crystal-clear waters and pristine beaches, paying homage to the raw beauty of these natural wonders. "When creating this collection, I discovered how, in the end, it is but a seamless flow of energy between nature and myself and how, ultimately, I am nature," she shares. In an exciting development, Vaishali proudly announces an exclusive collaboration with Vespa for the upcoming fashion week. "Vespa was an instant love from the moment I saw them and my Italian partner Alessandro explained to me what it meant. Just like me, Vespa has remained attached to its roots and heritage yet innovating continuously. It has been a symbol of luxury rather than mobility and has created an image that goes beyond times and even generations," the designer adds.
Each ensemble in the collection becomes a narrative, telling the story of the symbiotic relationship between humanity and the environment. The muse, a constant in Vaishali's creative Journey, is once again nature. The collection draws its inspiration from the undulating swirls of water, the rhythmic flow around rocks and the tranquil shore creeks. The designer's recent sojourns to Sardinia Island and the Daymaniyat Islands have provided a rich tapestry of experiences, translating into powerful textures that vividly reflect the interplay of water and rocks. "In terms of silhouettes there is flowing cording and more pictorial textures and at the same time some grand drapings that go well beyond what is expressed. Asymmetries are also a new concept, researched both in textures and colours, that give off the sense of multi-layered relationships," she reveals.
The designer's commitment to sustainability takes centrestage as she meticulously crafts the collection using kilometres of hand-made cording, ensuring that every inch serves a purpose. Embracing eco-conscious practices, she ingeniously re-purposes leftovers, weaving them into the fabric of her creations. The result is an edit of 35 ensembles that seamlessly blend the traditional craftsmanship of chanderi silk and West Bengal silk with an innovative metal thread fabric from Madhya Pradesh. "While some of the colours for this edit come directly from natural elements that strike me for their beauty (especially the sea or mountains), in most cases they are just instinctively in my head and don't follow any trend. Very surprisingly, very often I then find them as trendy in the following season," the couturier shares.
Besides an exciting week in Paris, back home, Vaishali opens doors to her new flagship store in Fort, Mumbai. This exquisite space serves as a sanctuary for fashion connoisseurs, housing her expansive repertoire of signature collections and demi-couture edits, including her iconic saris. Another addition to this new location is her foray into home décor. "There are two areas of home décor. The first one was a seamless extension of my work. With my leftovers, I started making textile lamps. People liked them, so I expanded to partitions and curtains, cushions, tables and bedspreads, etc. All these products are created with the same hand-woven fabrics and philosophy of my fashion garments. Then there was my store, where I fully applied my village life attitude of making use of all the materials that remain unused. I was fascinated with old doors and all they must have seen and heard. All my furniture, of my store and my collection, is made with old doors that I have salvaged from the dumping grounds of Mumbai and report posed by disassembling them and reassembling and matching different parts," she says proudly
₹1,70,000 onwards Available online soon.
Email: srushti @newindianexpress.com