A Bengaluru-based mother-daughter fashion designer duo, that has been designing for customers all across the country, and even for Hollywood, launched its latest spring summer collection at Collage recently. The brand Shimmer – created by Jamila and Seema Malhotra – whose bridal designs have been sought after internationally, launched its collection for the first time in Chennai.
Called the Healing Power of Nature, the collection, which is inspired by Mughal designs, has close to 50 pieces depicting how nature nourishes the soul, according to daughter Seema. Anarkalis, sarees, kurtas and Palazzo pants – all in beige, sea green and blue colours – are part of the collection. “In fact, you can even look out for hand-embroidered pieces that suit every occasion,” says Seema.
Seema is excited about her debut launch in the city, and hopes that the collection will go well with fashion lovers in the city. However, her association with Tamil Nadu isn’t new. While designing for the film Elizabeth, some of the material was taken from Vaniyambadi, and even for some of her other works, she brought in material from there.
Seema and her mother have designed for the Karnataka film industry – especially for heroines like Ramya and Ragini Trivedi. She says that the actresses wear a lot of their designs to parties as well. At the global level, a lot of their designs were showcased at Bridal Asia. “Also, some well-known families in the country are customers of our bridal collections,” she says.
Clothes and customers apart, the designer shares her experiences working with her mother, and how as a duo, they have worked on designs. “My mother was close to 50 years of age when we started designing at home, and I had finished my education. Since then, it has always been good working with her, and we have similar tastes and thoughts,” she says.
The collection, which is priced from Rs 35,000, is available at Collage, Greams Road, till May 31.