The lights came on, the music built slowly, and as the first model stepped onto the Paris runway, there was a brief moment of pause. As WforWoman made its presence felt, the silhouettes seemed familiar, almost like something you would reach for on a regular morning, yet they carried a certain ease and confidence that belonged anywhere in the world. This was not couture trying to impress, but everyday Indian fashion, stepping into a space it had rarely claimed before. After a successful runway showcase, CE talks to Sreyashee Halder, head of design for WforWoman about the collection and everything in between.
For Sreyashee, this moment had been building for a while. She sees it as a natural step forward, as she explains, “WforWoman is a well-established high-street ethnic brand in India, and our presence at Paris Fashion Week marks a natural progression in taking that identity to a global stage. Paris Fashion Week is the global epicentre of ‘ready-to-wear’ luxury, and we believe it is time for an Indian high-street brand to claim its seat at that table. Our primary inspiration was to challenge the international perception of Indian fashion. For too long, Indian wear has been viewed through an ‘ethnic and traditional’ lens.”
What made the collection stand out was how familiar it still felt, even on a global runway. Speaking about this balance, she shares, “Reinterpreting everyday Indian fashion for a global stage isn’t about changing the soul of the garment — it’s about re-engineering its impact. The ‘everyday’ Indian silhouette, traditionally layered and often structured, was reimagined through the lens of Parisian ease. We stripped away the restrictive elements to create fluid, ethereal forms.”
There was also a quiet romance woven into the collection, one that drew from art and history. Describing this, she expresses, “Our Collection, which is a bridge between the 18th century Parisian art and Indian craft, looked at the shared heritage of nature in art, drawing from Parisian archival inspiration where vintage botanicals have a deep Parisian soul, inspired by the Impressionist movement with light, airy palettes and blurred edges, while every artwork, from botanical motifs and graphic prints to ornamental patterns, was hand-drawn to layer Parisian botanicals with Indian heritage art, creating a proprietary design language exclusive to us.”
Back home, cities like Hyderabad continue to shape this thinking in subtle ways. She reflects on its influence, saying, “Hyderabad is a centre of rich heritage and crafts, and we have been using inspiration from the region extensively for our ornamental, elaborate collections where we need to project grandeur and heritage. Zardozi is the form of embroidery without which Indian occasion wear is incomplete. This remains an intrinsic part of every season’s collection. As mentioned earlier, we regularly adapt the intricate, geometric, and floral silver-inlay patterns of bidri into our core everyday wear lines,” she adds.
She also points out how the city is changing with its younger audience. “Hyderabad is rapidly transforming from a traditional textile centre into a significant driver of India’s modern fashion economy. In the modern consumer mindset, as they move beyond traditional ensembles, young consumers are increasingly adopting Indo-Western fusion, streetwear, and ‘quiet luxury’,” she notes.
As the conversation circles back to Paris, there is a sense that this is only the beginning. She shares her larger vision, saying, “The collection at Paris Fashion Week is our answer to how the modern Indian woman wants to dress today. She no longer seeks a costume; she seeks a Transnational Wardrobe. We are giving her the freedom to be unapologetically Indian and undeniably global, all at once. This is just the beginning of how a brand with an Indian soul touches hearts across the globe — with this launch, we are stepping onto the global platform, creating a new definition for this modern Indian wear that is transnational in look and global in appeal,” She concludes.
And somewhere between Paris and home, that idea lingers. That’s what we wear every day; when seen differently, it can carry us much further than we imagined.