From discovering her love for Indian weaves on a trip to the textile town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh to showcasing a variety of Indian weaves at Paris Haute Couture Week 2021, Indian designer Vaishali Shadangule’s journey has been nothing short of adventurous.
An International Platform For Indian Weaves
Image Source: Instagram/vaishalishadangule
With her latest showcase in Paris, she became the first Indian woman designer and the second Indian designer, ever, to showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week. The showcase featured her collection, “Breath”, which, as the name suggests, was inspired by concept of breath and different aspects from nature, exhibited through Indian weaves. Having suffered from COVID-19 herself, the designer was inspired by the fact that breathing, an act that one performs so subconsciously, can be so vital to one’s life and existence. To translate that through a set of garments made from Indian textiles, as Shadangule explains, was a dream come true. “When I saw how fabrics are made, it was really inspiring for me. But I realised we don’t value that as much. It’s more than fabrics, it’s about art and design. The idea was that it should go everywhere,” adds Shadangule.
Nature is another aspect that has always been a source of inspiration for the designer and is often reflected in her designs and fabrics. She explains how it’s thanks to the values she imbibed and witnessed growing up, “We used to give equal importance to nature. It’s always said that the house and aangan are equally divided amongst each other. We used to treat animals and trees equally. That was the way of life. So I think it’s so rooted. You’ll see that in my collections. Also that the flow, the shape, the texture, even my cord technique—it’s all nature-inspired,” she says.
Image Source: Instagram/vaishalisstudio
The designer, who first started gaining recognition from international markets, adds, “I used to take sarees from weavers and created unconventional silhouettes. I started showcasing at New York Fashion Week eventually, and I realised how much people appreciate what I was doing with Indian textiles and that’s how I got the confidence that this can work.” She goes on to explain how different villages in India have different weaves that they are known for, something that never felt monotonous to the designer and kept her going with her journey.
The COVID-19 Hurdle
But bringing Indian weaves to an international platform was not easy, especially given the pandemic. Shadangule faced various hurdles right from contracting COVID-19 and working virtually to travelling to a list of different countries just to get to Paris in time and in check with couture week regulations. After travelling from Serbia to Slovania, back to Belgrade in order to reach Switzerland and finally from Switzerland to Milan and then Paris with her entire collection in her suitcases, she finally made it and how. It all seemed worth it when she looks back at the most unforgettable moment of the experience. “When I came out on stage as the show was getting over, it was one of the best moments,” she says.
Image Source: wwd.com
The bigger hurdle, however, was to get the Indian Weaves ready in time for the show, something that was the focal point of the entire collection. “A lot of my fabrics are made in different villages. I think I missed so many fabrics because there were courier restrictions at the time. Somehow we planned well and could get the collection made in time,” she says. The designer, however, does express the importance of the weaver in the ecosystem that is her brand, “Weavers and weaves are the lifeline of my brand. Without them I can’t do anything.” Shadangule used Khand, merino wool, which was made in Maheshwari, and Murshidabad silk in her collection Breath. “We were working on Jamdani fabrics as well which were being made in West Bengal but we couldn’t get them sent to our workshop in Mumbai because of courier services,” adds Shadangule. She was one of the designers that continued to provide work and support to her team during the difficult COVID-19 second wave in India. The team was well-tested and would stay at the workshop so as to work with better safety measures.
A Lookback
Shadagula has since been recognised by various platforms, Indian and international alike, including Her Circle’s list of 21 Women heroes of 2021. She says, “It’s a good confirmation that whatever I’m doing is right and you get a force to continue in the right direction.”
Image Source: Instagram/vaishalishadangule
“Coming from a different background, different roots, I was not at all aware about how the fashion industry works. It’s not easy when you decide to do something different, so I faced a lot of challenges, but I’ve enjoyed (the journey), I’ve evolved and I have learnt so many things. I would say my roots are the same but I am a different person,” she adds. According to Shadangule, her sustainability values are deep-rooted because of the way she grew up, “Maybe the word is new for everyone but we were always sustainable.” She goes on to explain how she always taught to never throw anything and reuse and redesign things when they got old.
Being an achiever in her field, she thinks anyone who puts their mind to it can achieve their goals, “I really believe it’s not about male or female, I don’t think it gender matters if you decide to do something. If you really believe you can do something, I think you can do it. But I also come from a background where girls are taught to speak less, and it is sometimes like that in India. But now women are realising the power of what they can do.” Shadangule says.