It's always great to come back home --- this feeling aptly encapsulates the mood board of designer Shruti Sancheti's latest edit Alchemy from her sustainable label Pinnacle, which just got unveiled at FDCI x LFW. The fluid Spring-Summer collection, which also marks a decade of Shruti's designing journey, is all about the inward travels of the couturier -- moments of reflecting, reminiscing and the indescribable feeling of returning home after long periods of travel.
“Alchemy is an ode to those who know that the magical thing about home is that even though it feels good to leave, it feels even better to come back,” shares the designer, summing up the spirit of the collection.
The idea of a voyage has often inspired the designer - at times resulting in her whimsical Pondicherry florals and often taking the sublime shape of Grecian silhouettes. Be it Korean brights or Japanese cherry blossoms or the breezy French springs or the languid English Summers, each pattern is steeped in the unadulterated joy of travelling.
After spending the last two-and-a-half years in the pandemic, marked by uncertainty and incessant lockdowns, the comfort and familiarity of simpler times drenched in vibrant summers of Shruti’s childhood beckoned the designer, who grew up in Kolkata.
Hailing from a Rajasthani family, summers meant returning to the family home in Churu, Shekhawati, a sleepy hamlet three hours from Jaipur, and she looked forward to idyllic vacations spent exploring the exquisite architecture of her family haveli surrounded by heritage forts and palaces.
"The beauty of the historic forts along with the fantastical stories narrated by the villagers about folklore princesses draped in the finest threads had my creative juices flowing. Alchemy is an artistic attempt to recreate these magical memories where I alchemise the mundane with extraordinary and simplicity with avant-garde designs," she says.
Rich, multi-hued Maheshwari in metallic hues, sheer Chanderi in dusty pastels, raw silks and silk from a cluster in Karnataka has set the tone for this season’s textures. Danka- a technique from Udaipur, perfected for the Royal families of Rajasthan, Pita and Ektar embroideries lend a tactile quality to the outfits. Clever use of German silver diskettes, metallic threads and embellishments of various motifs makes the line contemporary, detail-oriented and eye-catching.
Classic silhouettes consisting of easy separates, in colours like cyan, burnt orange and metallic dusty deep blues, along with the label's core insignias ecru and charcoal are what you can find in Alchemy.
Also, for the very first time, the brand is presenting a menswear range, consisting of contemporary Indian wear, impeccably crafted with a sharp emphasis on detailing.
"Alchemy is a metaphor for Slow fashion, featuring a panoply of looks that are global in their appeal yet rooted in India’s indigenous crafts. It's a sustainable, multi-layered collection that celebrates the unsurpassed legacy of craft and textiles of India," adds Shruti.