I am greatly inspired by old-world romance. I love watching old classics and often draw inspiration from the poised and graceful ladies of the past. The way they used to drape the sari, wear a scarf, style their hair, and yet keep it so fresh and minimal. For them, fashion was not limited to just an occasion, it was a lifestyle. Even at home, I would see the ladies of my family transform as they draped the whole nine yards. There was a certain change in their body language; they would walk taller with a confident smile. But while growing up, this romantic notion of a saree somehow got lost.
And then, this love was rediscovered as a fashion student by learning about various fabrics. Thanks to experimentation with different textiles and silhouettes, my fascination for the sarees resurfaced along with a new found respect for it, and all this resulted in the birth of ‘Picchika’.
I not only wanted to highlight the delicacy and femininity of the sarees but also bring back the excitement of wearing one for the new generation. Therefore, I used silk to a great extent due to its suppleness. They are a pleasure to drape and have a beautiful fall.
And silk acts as a lovely canvas for the hand-painted flowers combined with the gotta patti and pitthan enhancement. But currently, I am really into exploring a new fabric, the silk organza. It presents both a challenge and a bonus. I love the transparency of the fabric, which enhances the watercolour effect of the hand-painted botanicals, but its gentle stiffness challenges me to create designs that will not lose their character, rather will get highlighted because of the choice of fabric.
For me, fashion inspiration is not limited to clothing. You would always find me clicking pictures of flowers, trees, table settings and food plating. Sometimes, while scrolling through Instagram, I message my friends asking about the plant behind them in their holiday photos rather than the place!
I am always drawn to minimal colours and muted shades. I love coming up with unique colour combinations for saree base colour and the hand-painted botanical. But for someone, who is drawn constantly drawn to minimalism, I like to bring contrast in my designs by combining traditional handcraft techniques like gotta patti and pitthan along with, what many people call, ‘English’ colours. For the longest time, these colours were limited to western wear and only recently have people started exploring them in the ethnic wear.
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