Delhi-based designer Sonam Dubal—he’s a favourite with Bollywood celebrities like Vidya Balan, Tabu, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Konkona Sensharma, and Shonali Bose—a graduate of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, began his label in 1999. The designer, who is popular for his jacket-centred ensembles, talks to us about his AW’21 edit ‘Winter Garden’ from his label Sanskar by Sonam Dubal.
“‘Winter Garden’ came out of the need for soulful and sustainable collections that are homegrown. Having been through nearly two years of hibernation and isolation, I felt the need for a return to weaves, indigenous designs and textiles; something that I think will continue to be a trend-setting statement in the coming years,” he tells us.
Mapping embroideries from all across the ancient silk route and revisiting what is familiar for the brand, the label has once again created a line of jackets, capes, dresses, kaftans, and brocade shrugs for evening wear. “An old-world atmosphere and a feeling of festivity that was lost for so long finds its way back with pops of colour in between stylish hues for evening wear in maroons, reds, blacks, indigos, golds, and dull copper. There’s georgette brocades and vintage silks on velvet jackets combined with period embroidered and crushed signature dresses and georgette sequined capes that come together bringing in a new refreshing feeling of hope for a new tomorrow and the coming New Year,” the designer adds describing the collection.
The collection focuses on texturing and upcycling textiles, and features silk ikat, georgette brocade, and embroidered georgette. “The idea was to focus on winter and winter clothing, but next up, we’re focusing on brighter tones of bandhani, different techniques of shibori, and textured embroideries in brighter hues for SS’22,” explains Dubal, as he gives us a sneak peek into his next seasonal edit.