New Delhi-based designer, Pooja Shroff is a name fashionistas might want to look out for. Not only has she been reinventing her fusion design aesthetics to make it edgier, but she has also been the go-to designer for Bollywood divas like Nimrat Kaur, Bhumi Pednekar and Jacqueline Fernandez. The graduate of Parsons School of Design, New York, will be launching her Autumn/Winter 2018 collection in Hyderabad by the first week of July. “These designs are inspired by the Indian vest-jackets and waistcoats. That’s why I named my collection, Bandi,” says the designer who once apprenticed with fashion industry doyen Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The collection will hit the shelves at multi-designer stores such as Elahe, Ogaan and Anahita in July.
It has been quite a journey for Pooja, who started her own label in Kolkata eight years ago. Initially, she chiefly focused on Western silhouettes. But in a couple of years, she shifted base to Delhi and her design sensibilities too changed. She soon started incorporating more ethnic elements and fusing them with modern cuts. Her latest collection offers structured silhouettes and surface ornamentation like pleating, ruffles and zardosi. “We have used silks, georgettes, flat chiffon and tulle for pleating,” she says. Some of the colours that stand out in this line are cobalt blue, mango yellow, signature charcoal and smokey grey.
Pooja claims that as a designer, concentrating on slim fit silhouettes was never what she liked and she always wanted to concentrate on amping up the comfort element. Since the summer is on its way out, the fashionistas can shop for the monsoons with a range of jackets and pants. Take your pick from red carpet-worthy gowns with drapes and jackets. However, the one that we liked the most from the lookbook were the hand-draped jumpsuits with jackets, which has a mix of cutwork embroidery.
Rs 24,000 onwards.