HYDERABAD: Designers have come a long way this year, with the pandemic affecting them all. They certainly got out of it by coming up with some of their best designs that were vibrant and beautiful. Looking back at the creative collections and launches that these designers have brought to light, they are all exclusive and one-of-a-kind. After braving 2021, designers from the city share with CE what they expect fashion and their designs to look like in 2022
As much as we preach mindful practice, we also understand that the path to achieving is not easy. We constantly encourage our customers to make conscious choices and invest in ethically made products that sustain them for a lifetime. The closer we are to nature, the healthier our life will be. Craftsmanship lies at the heart of Archana & Puneeth, known for using indigenous, handwoven and recycled fabrics. By January 2022, we will officially launch our conscious and fun line for kids and men that imbibe our core values. We are working on a new direction for our women’s collection, bringing in all the natural, upcycled and recycled ingredients to make a conscious line for brides
Archana, designer, Archana & Puneeth
I recently completed my year-end look book and just concluded a photoshoot with the LGBTQIA+ community wearing my designs. I made a fabric based on each other’s personalities. Every person is unique and I tried to make something out of that. I’m also coming up with a collection with golden copper around New Year. I will be playing around with a lot of other materials like see-through, cottons, satin and jute cotton for my upcoming creations
Madhuri Janakiram, designer/stylist, Kothacheru
I’m going to concentrate more on sustainable fashion as I have been doing for a while now. I’m also looking to come up with different kinds of travel jackets, zero-waste luxury art pieces and art exclusive one-off jackets. I have created a niche in this segment and it has been doing really well. I can’t wait to explore this further. I want to make more clothes that have a story to tell, add some spark and have a meaning. I don’t make clothes which don’t say much for themselves. I want to make things that people can treasure and value. That is the only way to stay sustainable
Asmita Marwa, designer
As the cost of raw material has increased by about 40 per cent, we want to do more pieces of cotton — the price of silk yarns have gone through the roof. We want to offer customers an affordable range of cotton by making it a little dressy. Keeping the artisans in mind, we have been using a 100/100 yarn, but looking at the situation, we are planning to make it an 80/100 count. We want to limit our production, but also have a higher value addition. We want to focus on compelling products, which will ensure the sale and pay the artisans well. It is a scary situation with GST on one side and raw material on the other, in that we all want to play safe and protect the livelihood of weavers and artisans. We are on maintenance mode, but also want to try new things to sustain
Sudha Rani Mullapudi, co-founder and CEO of Abhihaara Social Enterprise
(By Shreya Veronica)