From winning a design contest at the age of 15 to designing prints and outfits that are loved by celebrities and her contemporaries, fashion designer Payal Singhal discusses her 20-year-long journey in the fashion industry.
Your label completed 20 years in the industry last year. What has your journey been like?
In 1992, at the age of 15, I won the Shopper’s Stop Designer of the Year Award so I pretty much grew up on the runway and learnt on the job. Ever since we launched in 1999, the focus has been on modern Indian bridal and occasion wear laden with an international appeal. I have always had utmost clarity about what the Payal Singhal brand will stand for since the very beginning — we are about Indian clothing for the global Indian. Spending six years in New York during the brand’s formative years (2004 – 2010) also bestowed the brand with a distinct ethos and put it on the global map. We have always believed in anticipating needs of patrons, and that has allowed us to organically grow into a lifestyle brand. We launched a kidswear line to fill a void for age-appropriate children’s occasion wear in 2010. Realising the need to invest in the future, our e-commerce website came in 2013, and we also became the first Indian label to launch an in-house editorial magazine, PS Diary in 2016. PS Men came about late 2018 and 2019 was a year-long celebration. In a nutshell the 20-year journey has been exciting exhausting and exhilarating.
Payal Singhal,What was the initial period like for you? What were the challenges at a time when there were no social media or celeb sightings?
Back then, brands had to rely on magazine editorials for publicity. As a new brand, we did not have huge advertising budgets so we always thought out of the box. We became one of the first designers to embrace the concept of trunk shows and pop-ups, adopt innovative marketing strategies by collaborating with charity galas, and speak an overall global language. Even before social media and influencers, we had an army of PS Girls from our early days in New York, who continue to support the label even today. Before I moved to New York, I once remember attending a wedding and seeing the majority of girls there dressed in PS. That to me was a mark of the brand’s success.
Since I started young, it was often a challenge to be taken seriously. Unless you were an A-league designer or doing artsy work back then, you were just slotted as a commercial label. We had to fight hard for our place, and for the industry to acknowledge the innovation and creativity that the brand stood for.
What attracts you to prints? How did you decide on it being your signature statement?
Every global-minded brand has a distinct footprint in style and identity, and prints establish that. We launched our signature prints only after our first 10 years when we were ready. I personally love prints, be it for décor around my house or stationery. But I was clear that I did not want our prints to be just kitsch or trendy. They had to be true to our brand.
Payal Singhal,How do you design your prints, please tell us about your design process?
We launched our first print in 2010 with the Char Bagh collection. It was inspired by Persian design elements, specifically the Ottoman Period. It remains our most iconic print and has been worn by the maximum number of celebrities as well. Today, we have a repertoire of more than 30 such prints, with new patterns added every season. Every print find cues in art, history, nature and travel. Often, these prints are a result of collaborations with artists.
What interests you in a collaboration?
The main reason has been to satisfy my creative thirst to always do something new and different. As a brand, we believe in collaborations with like-minded individuals and brands to further grow our product lines, of which we have many under our belt today, ranging from footwear and beauty to the latest being wallpapers with Marshalls Wall coverings.
I truly believe this is a great way to bring out the best in both brands involved. Our collaborations have helped us organically grow into a lifestyle brand rather than just being a designer label.
What pushed you to launch your menswear label last year?
It was born out of overwhelming demand for menswear from our brides and #PSGirls. We decided to introduce it as a standalone part of our offerings, an extension of our overall ethos to contemporise Indian wear. The #PSMan is urban, metrosexual and confident, and doesn’t shy away from unconventional prints and colours.
Where do you feel is the Indian fashion industry headed today?
I have always maintained that the Indian fashion industry is a gold mine of talent, and we are surely headed in the right direction. What we do need is a lot more structure and discipline. Garment manufacturing is one of the biggest industries in the world and India can have a big piece of this pie if the quality standards are upped substantially — but we are getting there slowly.
Payal Singhal,The thing you love the most and hate about the industry?
I love the creative process along with all the chaos and mayhem it entails. There is a method in the madness, and that’s in sync with my personality too. What I don’t necessarily love is the politics of fashion. We talk about inclusivity but there is no denying the inequality. There are some truly talented designers that are unable to get due credit while some who have made it big may not be most deserving of that mantle.
Payal Singhal,Tell us a bit about your upcoming and future projects.
We are expanding our internal product line, and our PS Athleisure line will be launched this year. There are some exciting collaborations in the home, beauty, accessories and lifestyle space as well. Our Bandra store will open next month and we are looking at expanding our footprint to a few more cities too.
The advice you would like to give to upcoming designers.
Don’t rush into launching your own label. Take your time to learn and come into your own. It’s important to have an original point of view. Fashion is not all fun and games, be sincere and dedicated and focused.
We launched a kidswear line to fill a void for age-appropriate children’s occasion wear in 2010. Realising the need to invest in the future, our e-commerce website came in 2013, and we also became the first Indian label to launch an in-house editorial magazine, PS Diary in 2016. PS Men came about late 2018 and 2019 was a year-long celebration.
Words: Dhara Vora Sabhnani | TMM
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