Busy, busy, busy. That’s what Vaishali Shadangule is these days. Happy, happy, happy. That’s also what she is, for being part of the Paris Haute Couture Week as an ‘Invited Member’ is the distant dream of every designer. Yes, the delightful designer is still trying to recover from the surprise and emotion. But she has to recover very quickly and get her head down into the new Autumn/Winter collection because she literally has only one month left as the prestigious week is from July 5 to 7.
“I must tell you I am extremely focused, for two main reasons,” she said, in a virtual chat. “First, this is a rare occasion that doesn’t pass twice in a lifetime if you don’t perform in an excellent way, and the benchmark in Paris is extremely high on all possible aspects: stunning creativity supported by perfect and unique craftsmanship, innovation and social impact. While these are all angles that are in my cords since my beginning 20 years ago, once more the benchmark in Paris is … well, there is nothing higher in the whole world.”
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“Something extra that I bring and that is particularly sensitive in this period is nature: all my inspiration comes from nature and her flow of energy. This gently bursts out in the form of an unusual but very communicative multitude of textures that can be easily seen and perceived by all people that wear my garments: a very personal further advantage which I am very fond of. A festival of corals, tree bark, mushrooms, etc,” she shared.
Vaishali added, “Second, I feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility. I am the first Indian woman designer to be given this opportunity in many years and the third Indian overall. I am also known to be focused on Indian hand weaves and techniques (both of weaving and draping) that come from our ancestral culture and heritage. All these clusters have been badly hit by progress first (power looms and the likes) and Covid recently. It is in my hands to bring them back to where they belong. Hand weaves with specific techniques are our treasure and real pieces of art. Thanks to the cording technique through draping which I have created, I manage to give these weaves a global language and lift them to wearable art.”
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“This is the occasion to show the world what India excellence in crafts is capable, to show that we are not only home of cheap embroideries or colourful sequins, rather we leverage these skills and float them with stunning creativity, elegance and quality,” she told.
And Vaishali winds up with, “It is the time of bringing India back to the global stage powerfully. This is my vision and what I am after.”
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