Fusion CULTURESof

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW YOU FIRST BECAME INTERESTED IN FASHION AND DESIGN?

My mother is an internationally acclaimed abstract painter, and this hugely infuenced me along the way. As a child, I was always by her side at gallery openings, long work sessions in her studio, inspiration trips... It was all I knew; art to me seemed as much a profession as my friends’ parents who were in corporate positions. My world was made up of creative people, places, and projects, and this fed my curiosity and inclination towards design well into my teenage years. I knew I wanted to be a part of this industry; however, I was not convinced of being an artist in a pure sense and really loved the idea of attaching functionality to what I made. This is how design came about, and why I ended up pursuing my bachelors at Parsons in New York. Even there, I further narrowed my interest in design frst toward fashion and then fnally landing on textiles (which is also why I did a semester abroad at Central St Martins focusing purely on textile print). Through every project and assignment during those crucial years, as well as internships (Mary Katrantzou, Thakoon) - it was through understanding the things I was best at and those less – that I reached the conclusion that surface materiality and the exploration of color, texture, and pattern was my happy space.

YOUR DESIGNS OFTEN INCORPORATE TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS FROM INDIA. HOW DOES YOUR HERITAGE AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND INFORM YOUR WORK?

It is subconscious. I think people really want to pinpoint when looking at creative work – what is eastern, what is western. Direct referencing is popular, and I always fnd it diffcult because I am a mix of clashing cultures myself. I really think what we are as artists naturally infltrates what we make, and I am sure that is evident in my work as well. In terms of materials and techniques, of course, India, having such a rich textile heritage, has been a glorious creative playground for experimenting with literally everything under the sun. The best silks, the best dyeing, the best embroidery… there is just no place like it, and I feel tremendously lucky that it is one of my homes.

YOUR DESIGNS HAVE BEEN PRAISED FOR THEIR UNIQUE AND STRIKING USE OF COLOR. HOW DO YOU APPROACH COLOR WHEN CREATING A NEW COLLECTION?

It often starts with travel and photography. I fnd that having to look at your surroundings through a camera lens forces you to think about composition and makes you observe your environment in a very different way. You notice colors and shapes and lines you wouldn’t otherwise, etc. So usually, I have a collection of images I take on trips of surfaces and these make up a color and shape story which I use to structure the next series of work.”

YOUR DESIGNS HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN MAJOR FASHION PUBLICATIONS. COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE NOTABLE FIGURES WHO ARE FANS OF YOUR WORK?

I have been fortunate to meet wonderful industry veterans who became mentors over time. I had the honor of sharing my work with fber artist Sheila Hicks, who helped me build my portfolio in high school to apply to art programs for university. Donna Karan in New York offered me a fellowship opportunity post-graduation in Haiti, and I worked directly with her for several months. I also had a session with Dutch trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort. The former dean of Parsons and now CEO of the Fashion Commission of the Ministry of Culture in Saudi Arabia has also been a dear mentor since my college days. Through emerging designer competitions, I also met notable fgures such as Sara Sozzani Maino of Vogue Italia, who has offered her support and guidance to me throughout. Celebrity-wise, I had the absolute pleasure of spending time with Ciara in South Africa – she was also very interested in the work and has been very helpful on many occasions.

SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICAL FASHION ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ISSUES IN THE INDUSTRY. HOW DO YOU APPROACH THESE CONCERNS IN YOUR OWN DESIGN PROCESS AND BRAND ETHOS?

There is sustainability embedded in my practice on multiple levels. Firstly, nothing is mass-produced, very small quantities, and mostly bespoke on an order basis. Secondly, all fabrics are 100 percent handwoven pure silk –there is no poly and no large-batch material. We work with Maharashtra cottage industries conservation initiatives to source the base fabrics from different communities across the state. Thirdly, my manufacturing unit I work with is MasterG India. MasterG started off as a series of training centers to motivate and teach girls who had no future career opportunities to learn garment-making skills and find a way to then monetize them. They were taught patternmaking, sewing, draping, etc. It is a pleasure to be associated with such a fine organization and contributes to us feeling confident about the transparency of our production cycle as well as knowing we are playing a small part in positively affecting the girls.

HOW DOES WOMEN EMPOWERMENT TIE IN WITH YOUR DESIGNS?

I have a very keen interest in craftsmanship from a heritage angle. The truth is a lot of the techniques we see in luxury products today, even at European fashion houses, stem from traditional rituals and activities of groups of women across the Global South. I would love to continue learning about textiles from tribal and indigenous communities in continents I am less familiar with, such as South America or Africa. In Saudi, for example, I did a project with an 80-year-old beader, Um Ahmed, for which we revisited her century-old techniques and combined them with my more contemporary shapes and aesthetic. It was a wonderful experience, and I hope to do more of such projects in the future.

FINALLY, CAN YOU GIVE US A SNEAK PEEK INTO WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AS AN ARTIST?

Currently, I am working as a couture textile and technique developer, mainly focusing on special projects at Iris van Herpen in Amsterdam. It is a change for me as I was always working for myself since university, but it is an honor as she is someone I have admired and respected for a very long time. I really think she is one of the few artists within the realm of fashion. Her dedication to textile innovation is unparalleled, and I consider myself fortunate to work so closely with someone of this creative caliber.

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