CHENNAI: Fashion has somehow always remained a close knit concept. We wanted it to be made available to every bride. We take pride that it is an all-women business. Right from sewing to manufacturing, everything is run by women,” says Shiny Cinderella Ashwin, who owns Diadem, a clothing brand that specialises in bridal, party wear, shoes and accessories.
What started out as a 300 sq ft space in 2013 expanded to a double-storied building in Anna Nagar, a few months back. Shiny is a city-based entrepreneur, and an engineer by educational background. Fuelled by passion, she ventured into designing and garments. Diadem, which in Greek means ‘a jewelled crown’, is the first to introduce matching gowns for mother and child. They offer matching ornaments, crowns and wreaths.
Fashion and fantasy go hand-in-hand. In an effort to capture the theme of ‘Cinderella in Chennai’ a new collection was unveiled, recently. The concept photo shoot had a curated set of ball gowns shot predominantly in Kasimedu and harbour. “We have about 400 designs in this collection. The locations were picked by the photographers to bring out a local connect. Specialising in gown is not an easy task. But our aim is to motivate the modern bride-to-be to experiment rather than sticking to traditional attires. We can also customise it based on their preference,” says Shiny.
Among the highlights is their technique of using corset, a garment worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape. “Often women are concerned and particular about looking in shape in a gown. Corset is used to slim the body and make it conform to a fashionable silhouette. It brings out the curvy figure. Another specialty is hoop skirts. These are worn to hold a skirt in a particular shape like bell, A-line, bustle-burn and more,” explains the designer.
The shop is known for its ball gowns and A-lines for women and kids. Shiny has clients from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The brand has factories set up across the globe including Korea. The brand will open more outlets in other cities by the end of 2018.
Price of gowns range from `10,000 to `4,00,000