Viranica Manchu has been in the news for designing a Florentina dress for Abhishek and Aishwarya’s daughter Aaradhya’s 10th birthday. In fact, Paris Hitlon’s veil, which was part of her pink bridal ensemble, is also by her. The city-based designer, who runs a luxury kids fashion label, Maison Ava, is making waves in the fashion industry. The New York University alumnus opens up about her label, what fashion means to her and the big dream
How and why did you venture into kids fashion?
Maison Ava has been in the works for quite some time now. We have been researching about the fabrics, brand architecture, business plans and putting the designs together. It’s been in the making for almost two years now. I have four children and I never compromised on the garments I put on them or the products I use for them. We always pick the best of designers for ourselves. But when it comes to children, sometimes, kids fashion is an afterthought for designers themselves. That’s why we wanted to launch a line that focused on children. As a company, we wanted to be mindful of what we put out there.
What sets Maison Ava apart from its competition?
Honestly, there are not many competitors for us at this point because couture for children is still a novel idea. When I started looking to put my children in couture clothing, there were hardly three to four labels in the world. Yes, we have the Guccis, Dolce & Gabbanas and all the established players, but they are not into occasion wear. This is specifically what Maison Ava caters to -- kids wear for weddings, larger-than-life birthday parties or celebs who want to take their children on the red carpet. Currently, there are not many players catering to the couture occasion wear market, so we wanted to enter that space. However, what makes us different is the workmanship and craftsmanship that go into our garments. We don’t settle for anything less than pure silks.
The fabrics and colours you love to work with?
Predominantly, our collection comprises pastel shades which is what is preferred by children and parents. We also work with a lot of earthy tones. For example, our winter collection has more of reds, blacks, golds and ivories. In terms of fabrics, we use a lot of tulles, silks and organzas for the girls. For the boys, we use the finest of Italian wools.
What’s the age group you cater to?
One to 12-year-olds. But we don’t stop there. We can customise for any age and size.
What’s the story behind Paris Hilton’s pink veil. How did she spot your collection?
We have our entire collection at a showroom in LA and sometimes fashion stylists walk in and make special requests for a celebrity. That’s how Paris Hilton’s stylist chanced upon our collection. They loved it and ordered the veil.
How do you go about planning your fashion shoots?
This is the most exciting part for me. I am a creative soul. Most of the time, I am the creative director of these shoots. I have a big team for this. The first shoot was at the Palazzo Versace Hotel in Dubai. We were looking for a more opulent setting. Before we chose Dubai, we were looking all over the world, but because of the Covid restrictions, we had to zero in on this location. As far as the models go, we work with some of the best modelling agencies in the world -- be it in Dubai or LA. I handpick all the models as I like to visualise how the garments would look on certain models. Also, we need to group the kids -- two or three kids in a shot. This should look aesthetically composed. I find myself a lot behind the driving wheel at these shoots because I am constantly visualising things. I have a good eye. The second shoot was in a beautiful mansion in Malibu, overlooking the water. The concept was California winter.
Have you studied fashion designing?
No. But we had introductory courses on fashion design in my curriculum which was on fashion marketing. I did study jewellery design. The fundamentals of design are the same, it’s just the technicalities that differ. Also, I love playing dress-up with my kids. All of this has come after years
of practice on my kids and getting inspired by them.
What’s the big dream?
The dream is to be identified as the go-to fashion house for children. If anybody in the world wants to dress their children up in luxury occasion wear, I want Maison Ava to be the first company they think of.
Your personal style?
I like timeless designs. I’m not a big fan of trends and fast-fashion. You should be able to wear a garment today and also 10 years from now. I’m all about upcycling and re-purposing. My style is very classic and has a lot of staple peaches. I’m not very loud in my choice of colours — I like black, ivory, olives, etc. I love saris and am a big fan of heritage weaves.