On a calm and serene Friday evening at the prestigious high school - Lycée Victor Duruy, located on the left bank in Paris, designer Vaishali Shadangule marked her victory at being the first woman designer to be invited by the highly-regarded Paris Couture Week to showcase her brand's couture collection. For those familiar with Vaishali's designs, her craft is one of a kind - sculpted and tailored to beautifully wear the human body. Her passion and focus have been on weaving as "wearable art forms" with hand-woven textiles and handloom weaves. She has been a pioneer in making textiles her mainstream design. She made sure Paris and the world understand the sartorial stories of a deep-seated love for classic Indian weaves and textiles.
Image Credits: Vaishali Shadangule, Paris Couture Week
Titled 'Shwas' meaning 'Breath', the collection seamlessly brought out her unique flair for effortlessly blending traditional weaves and techniques with dramatic silhouettes. Known for her unique cording techniques, the couture collection shone the spotlight featuring craftsmanship from the length and breadth of India, including Merino wool that was woven in Maheshwar, Khun from Karnataka and others from West Bengal. Her deep romance with indigenous weaves dates back to her earlier days in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh and ever since she has been experimenting with hand-woven textiles and their applications. She brings in the expertise with a touch of deep emotion, which is creatively expressed through innovative silhouettes and elaborate draping techniques which was evident in the entire couture collection.
Image Credits: Vaishali Shadangule, Paris Couture Week
Vaishali's signature design would be the art of cording in linear or 3D versions of leaves woven in fuss-free, asymmetrical silhouettes ranging from a pleated dress, co-ords to a chic, maxi-length gown. The garments are inspired by the lines and curves we may see in corals, tree bark and other textures created by the elements. The collection largely comprised of darker hues while the closing dress was a white couture gown as all couture shows end with a bridal dress. The long, white textured dress took inspiration from the wild flora that she resplendently with her art of cording, engineered deconstruction and texturing made it into a distinctive silhouette that echoes the nuances of a glocal soul. Imagine mustard, royal blue, ravishing red with punctuations of corded nature-inspired designs evoked an Indo-Western aesthetic, rooted in India but a mind set out to conquer the distant lands. The use of naths (nose-pins) with the breezy garments could be taken as a reflection of a sense of rebellion and a seminal moment vowing to take forward the culturally rich tales, however in a subtle and non-screaming Indian style.
Image Credits: Vaishali Shadangule, Paris Couture Week
Vaishali is no stranger to the international stage. She has previously shown at New York Fashion Week. Indian designs remain unsaturated with the same repetitive ideas that one may see in a variety of Indian ethnic wear but what Vaishali brings to the plate and her roaring saga in the west would be the fresh take on Indian style with a near-real experience of fashion and nature blended together and interpretation of authentic Indian fabrics in a fresh, luxury pret style.
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