Sharath Sundar’s latest collection, Inflorescence redefines summer’s favourite floral muse

Tackling the pattern with his unique design sensibilities, the 27-year-old tells us that he first began by deconstructing the identity and perception of flowers to create something new
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How do you break the cliché that floral motifs are a designer’s go-to for a summer edit? If you are Chennai-based designer, Sharath Sundar, you start with the most basic step  — you introduce the pattern as the prime inspiration for your Winter/Festive collection. “When it comes to design, florals are always limited to keywords. When you think of the pattern, the most common associations are vibrant hues and the idea of summer. I wanted to move away from this monotonous, expected use of motifs and view them in a different light,” offers Sharath, talking about his newest collection.

Identity politics
Called Inflorescence, the line marks the designer’s use of the flowers for the first time since the inception of his eponymous brand in 2018. Tackling the pattern with his unique design sensibilities, the 27-year-old tells us that he first began by deconstructing the identity and perception of flowers to create something new. To achieve this, the NIFT Delhi graduate looked beyond garden variety blooms and pastel hues. “For this, I drew my inspiration from wildflowers, which were then hand-drawn as abstract illustrations and then recreated as prints. The idea behind the collection was to create a sense of irony and contrasts.” In tow, the line strays from peppy hues, choosing deep earthy tones like coffee brown, red, rust, olive, grey, black and blue.

Petal pushers
An easy-to-wear line that is ethnic leaning, the festive Inflorescence balances the lack of brightly-coloured and vibrant hues with its layered silhouettes and interesting surface detailing. Look out for exaggerated bell and slashed sleeves that are reminiscent of petals and garment hems lined with little pompoms that resemble unopened buds. “We have also used bits of colour blocking through the line, in the form of panels and patchwork that feature the floral prints in gold.”

Drape expectations
Offering clean geometric cuts, the linen and organza collection hosts an array of shirts, layered tunics and dresses, flap tops, kaftans, high slit culottes, palazzo pants, peek-a-boo panelled jackets and cascading sheer dupattas. Additionally, as part of his experiments this season, we learn that the brand has also introduced saris into their ready-to-wear line. “Sharath Sundar, the brand, has so far only worked on bridal and bespoke drapes. But we wanted to revamp and rethink things this year, and saris seemed to fit right into the mix.”

Rs 2,500 onwards.

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