Known for celebrating India’s rich cultural heritage through her signature Shibori work, designer Swati Vijaivargie’s festive edit Gulaal unveiled at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, takes a cue from the pink hues of Jaipur’s architecture and the golden shimmer of Jaisalmer.
The collection is a riot of colours with fuchsia, orange, marigold tones, blue, red, vermilion, emerald, turquoise and purple hues spilt over luxurious fabrics like silks, Mashru, cotton silk, silk organza and Chanderi, creating free-flowing modern silhouettes.
Outfits like the striped, dolman-sleeved choli with a magnificent multi-coloured lehenga, fluid sharara with an asymmetric kurti and an eye-catching dupatta, a poncho style kurta teamed with fitted pants, and a dazzling, flared, asymmetric kurta with dhoti pants are all aimed at the discerning young buyers, who love to mix and match their attires.
The collection takes inspiration from the rich, colourful tapestry of India's landscapes and traditions. It explores the vibrant chains of rose offerings at temples, the burnt orange towers of spices in bustling marketplaces, and the brightly painted blue buildings of Jodhpur echoing the indigo-dyed fabrics drying in the desert sun.
“Growing up surrounded by its rich culture, I’ve always been enchanted by vivid colours and Gulaal is a tribute to that. Every design in this collection not only showcases an interplay of colours, textures, and patterns but also binds the multifaceted tales of our heritage,” says Swati Vijavargie.
We have a chat with Swati to learn more.
During festivities, people wear nice interesting and fresh colours and that’s what we have tried to do by incorporating nice bright colours and using traditional Indian textiles and embroideries in more contemporary silhouettes resonating with today’s generation. There are nice capes with dhoti pants, dhoti skirts with crop tops and sheer shrugs, lots of skirts, separates, ghagras with tops, and tulip-shaped kurtas. It’s an interesting collection for destination weddings with lightweight ensembles, and easy to carry, yet festive and vibrant enough for the brides to enjoy their day.
How has your design philosophy evolved over the years?
Shibori is my signature style but I also now experiment with hand screen printing and block print and explore fabrics beyond the luxe silks including chanderis and cotton linens.
Previously, people used to buy occasion-specific clothes but now, the millennial brides buy functional and versatile outfits to mix and match and style them differently each time.
Lots of fuschia, emerald and purple colours, striped outfits and a versatile blouse.