For any designer, whether a veteran or someone comparatively new to the fashion world, showcasing at an international fashion event is like a dream come true.
Hailing from the city of Nagpur, designer Vidhi Wadhwani, 32, — among the few Indian designers who have found their way into the global market, the only Indian and one of the two Asians to be showcasing at this year’s London Fashion Week (LFW) — will be presenting her collection ‘Solstice’ from her eponymous label on February 16.
When asked if it was a dream come true to be showcasing at LFW, Vidhi said in a telephonic conversation with News18.com, “Yes it is. In fact, it will be more than a dream coming true when I get appreciation from the fashion industry both in India and outside.”
Speaking about what prompted or inspired her to get into designing, Vidhi revealed that she realised she had a talent for creating beautiful textures out of plain fabrics by way of her innovative and unique techniques, and that’s something she thought was new that she could bring to the fashion market.
“I didn’t expect this. I debuted with my show at LFW Spring/Summer ‘17, and after that everything’s just been happening on its own,” said the designer on being asked about her journey. “I kept working on what my signature was (hand-crafted 3D textures), since I did not want to deviate from it. The originality and our signature creations helped us to create our own niche and be recognised in the market,” she added.
Talking about the inspiration behind Solstice, Vidhi said, “The play of light against darkness, the textures and the shadows that we have created, we have done a lot of beautiful sheers, organza that we have hand block-printed in, we have created a beautiful 3D, shadowy effect on the clothes that we have put it on, that kind of inspired the whole thing. The metallic elements with the sheer fabric, that put together has been the inspiration.”
Vidhi explains that since her collection features a lot of separates that can be paired with different creations to create a completely different look, her muse for the collection is a woman who creates her own style, who likes to experiment, someone who is sure of her identity, one who does not conform to stereotypes and adapts to her collection according to her own sensibilities.
“This season we have kept it very edgy and straight. We have done a lot of sheers and cut work. The silhouettes are easy, comfortable and wearable, not very drastic, since we have worked more on the textures and prints,” Vidhi said on being asked about the silhouettes that we can expect to see in her collection. The collection will feature a lot of bright yellows against blacks and whites, metallic appliqué done against very transparent fabric, a lot of sheer dresses, garments with double layering (sheer on sheer) among other interesting elements.
Besides Solstice, if we speak in terms of her other creations, such is the power of her creativity and fantastic work, that Vidhi's creations have gradually found its way into the wardrobes of several Bollywood celebrities including Soha Ali Khan, Dia Mirza, Taapsee pannu, Richa Chadda among others. And although this isn't something that Vidhi is aiming for, she certainly acknowledges that a celebrity endorsement of any kind helps the brand.
Speaking about her collection gradually becoming a favourite among Bollywood celebrities, and her thoughts on celebrity endorsement of a brand, whether it takes away the focus from the collection or not, Vidhi said, “There’s definitely a lot more awareness and attention given to a label when a celebrity wears its creation, but that said, that’s not my focus, it’s not what I am aiming for.”
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