Indian designer Payal Singhal said that she doesn’t believe Bollywood fashion has made the global impact that might be expected, according to News 18. Although Bollywood is known for its glamor and romantic plots, Singhal says that the influence of Indian film industry on fashion has stayed in India.
Instead of film notoriety, quality of style and product has brought Indian fashion to the global market, Singhal believes. She also noted the quality of India’s vintage materials and, of course, its embroidery. Singhal thinks that weavers should have a turn at the stage for their work.
Designers are now starting to give those who create their fabrics credit for their craftsmanship. Collaboration between designers and weavers will combine the business know-how with knowledge of the craft. If designers don’t share the spotlight, Singhal said, the craft suffers. In lieu, the emphasis should be on the fashion itself. That includes the fabric that makes it.
Singhal also collaborates with weavers to produce designs.
The designer’s latest line, Lady M for the 2017 Summer/Resort season, showed at the Lakme Fashion Week recently. She drew inspiration from “Death on the Nile,” a murder mystery, envisioning 1930s style high society fashion; however, she told News 18, she didn’t reproduce the look intentionally. Instead, she wanted to reflect the sparkling look of the design from the mysteries she’d been watching.
Singhal appreciates low maintenance outfits – dresses that the wearers don’t have to worry about once they’re on, and that don’t require a lot of ironing.
She also said that modern fashion emphasizes experimentation, on creating style by combining pieces. The industry has undergone major changes since she began. Because of this, there is a new flexibility and openness in fashion; trying new things and making a personal style aren’t social taboos. Singhal said that fashion is no longer about what’s in. Instead, it’s what’s individual.
