Recipient of a ‘Shoppers Stop Designer of the Year’ award at the age of 15, Mumbai-based designer Payal Singhal has become one of the most celebrated fashion labels in India and overseas in the last 15 years.
In Chennai to launch her recent winter festival collection, ‘Mayaa’, she says each year there's a different theme. "This year, we were inspired by medieval primitive ancient gold jewellery found during excavation of Sumerian, Egyptian and Mayan sites. What’s impressive is that those designs are considered fashionable even today,” she says.
Talking about her progress in these 15 years, Payal says her journey was a process of self-discovery. “I was 21 when I started out and had a sense of where I wanted to be in terms of fashion and design, which was fusion Indian clothing. Over the years I have gained exposure in that genre. We went from fitted and crystal embellishments to a more edgy and Indian clothing,” she explains.
Payal adds that most of her works comes with experience and a sense of personal taste. “I keep tabs on current trends and it helps me understand the needs of my clients,” she points out.
So what has been her personal favourite collection? “My debut collection at my graduation show was one of my favourites. I had done an all-black bridal wear collection and it was the biggest risk I took. I was more experimental then,” she recalls, and added that designers tend to become less experimental when they become business-oriented and are dictated by buyers.
Payal’s favourite Indian designer is Anamika Khanna and in the International arena, it is Matthew Williamson. “Anamika’s work is incredible and I love the style. Mathew uses a lot of Indian-inspired design,” she says. “I have worked with a lot of Bollywood artists, but I’d love to work with Katrina Kaif whose style is more conventional. It would be exciting to see her in our clothes, which are more edgy,” she shares.
Her label caters to women from the 2 to 60 age group. She has clients in the UK, the US, Middle east and Australia. “Apart from Indians, Pakistanis and other south Asians, westerners love the fabric, embroidery, silhouettes. It has a global appeal and we cater to anyone who likes fabrics, colours and with a little bit of embroidery,” she points out.
Sharing her thoughts about the current trend among the young generation, she says, “I think Indian girls don’t like heavy outfits anymore; they like simple, subtle and comfortable outfits. Even design in styling and jewellery has changed, and girls want a touch of ethnicity,” she observes.
Her next collection will be dealing with ‘Old is gold’. “I will be working on the revival of gold and reworking on old embroidery, fabric and silhouettes. It is going to be about vintage and revival,” she says.
She also has a collection of gadget accessories (in collaboration with Macmerise). “We started with two signature prints. After it became popular, we took the prints to phone covers and laptop covers,” she says.
Singhal’s line is available at www.payalsinghal.com, with retail stores across the world. Her Lakme Fashion Week-Winter Festive 2015 collection is available at Evoluzione, Khader Nawaz Khan Road till November 8. For details, contact 04428333627.