Through his new AW ’19 collection, titled VHS, designer Sameer Madan embraces the late 80's era via a mix of classic and vintage ensembles. The Delhi-based drew the mood out of glamorous celebrity pictures of the past with a modern twist, to bring together his collection.
Madan’s focus lies on the various international trends. “We all go through the colours and silhouettes that are in trend, and then accordingly decide the theme we want to work on,” says Madan, who was always inspired by retro and vintage elements but in a modern way.
“This collection is a carry forward from our SS ‘19, our first technicolour, which is a process used in 1920s to convert black and white films to colour. Taking this forward, we designed the AW collection, while incorporating the latest trends.”
Madan enjoys reading and watching films, which is how he stumbled on the idea of technicolor. “I watch a lot of documentaries on Netflix and Hotstar, and one of them talked about how movies were converted into colour,” says Madan. While his SS’19 collection had a lot more primary hues of red, blue and yellow, the AW collection explored pastel hues.
Seam work colour blocking prevails throughout the collection with a nuance of the elegance displayed during the 80's. In terms of fabrics, satin takes the foremost place, being symbolic of glamour. Uneven layers of satin to gives a flowy effect, and leather, makes the overall appearance stronger and bolder.
Not to forget the use of bodycon that Madan often explores here that’s incorporated with seam work and colour play. Though known for using applique, Madan has used mix media like checkered patterns and leather lattice.