PERSON OF INTEREST |VAISHALI S.

“I have treated the fabric as a thread and sometimes thread as fabric,” is how Vaishali Shadangule describes her collection. This Spring-Summer 2016, Vaishali has explored the concept of Yajna, the transformation of one form of energy into another.

The result is spell-binding. She has tried to deconstruct the different layers of the five divine elements. In the whole collection, one could see how she has used surface texturing to recreate those layers. “The garment has different layers that travel through an unfinished layer underneath to the clean and finished outer layer,” explains the designer. The silhouettes had asymmetrical draping and free-flowing ends in Maheshwari silk, khadi and a mix of chanderi. The colors were au naturel with monochromatic tones and earthy hues.

The opening garment of a jacket draped over a long maxi dress defined the whole concept. In that one garment one could see the energy coming into the fabric and then flowing out into many threads below.

Fast fashion and use of synthetic fabrics are the norms these days. So why has the designer chosen to work only with natural fabrics? “I have always seen my mother adorned in beautiful woven sarees and it always fascinated me. Hence, I began my design journey with Chanderi. Once you feel a woven fabric in your palms, you cannot look beyond that.” Vaishali does not outsource her fabrics. Instead, her design process starts from the yarn itself.

On closer inspection, one can spot that the accessories used in her collection are also made from rolled strips of fabric. She eagerly explains, “We do not waste any kind of fabric. Instead, we have used them creatively to sew our accessories. In fact, the shoes in our collection were also designed using the same method.” Clearly, sustainability is another feather in the designer’s cap.

Born in Madhya Pradesh, the designer is closely connected to the crafts and artisans of her hometown. “The weaver takes a lot of time to weave a 2m fabric and hold its soul intact. If we look at these weavers, they do not follow any trends. They design what comes naturally to them. You can see the exquisite results in my collection,” gushes Vaishali. Instinctively, she does not adhere to market trends and research to design her collection. She relies on her instinct and the results are out there for everyone to see. “It feels good to see such a good response. I don’t think about business when I am designing. If the audience praises it, then I must have done something right.”