When groundbreaking florals turn muse

All the motifs in the world, and yet designers navigate towards and choose florals from the garden of creativity. Groundbreaking!?—We’ll say, maybe, when executed with an innovative touch. Delhi-based fashion designer Bhumika Sharma, who made her debut on Sunday at the recently-concluded Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI held in Mumbai, incorporated her fascination with the romantic side of blooms in her spring/summer showcase titled ‘Dahlia’.

Models, along with the uber-chic actress Malaika Arora, strutted the runway wearing ensembles dipped in colours and accentuated with elements inspired by posies. “The spring/summer collection ’2023 ‘Dahlia’ is a refreshing take on the essence of summer featuring a palette of spring colours with vibrant reds, warm ivories, soft lime/mint greens, and comes in the most flowy organzas,” Sharma mentions. “It has various techniques such as dabka and tilla work. Our collection boasts an array of pearl embellishments, signature organza tassels, and even metallic tassels for a modern twist,” she informs. 

The showstopper, Malaika was seen in the brand’s red kalidaar jacket featuring ambi jaal embroidery, which she paired with an embroidered bustier and gharara pants. Giving us an insight into the collection, Sharma says, “We’ve experimented with geometric motifs and French knot work to create an exciting fusion of both traditional and contemporary styles.”

Driven by passion
With no formal education in designing, Sharma—the former commerce graduate who completed a course in Fashion Marketing from Pearl Academy—launched her eponymous label in 2015. It was passion that led the way for her, “I started working on my label in 2014 and since then, there has been no looking back,” she says. 

Despite luck or passion, COVID was a time when brands—both emerging and well-known—had to make a choice between sinking or surviving. Sharma recounts, “From a production point of view, the business suffered during COVID, as manufacturing units were shut for a long time. After the pandemic, it is just not the same, as prices for raw materials started to rise.”

However, she is elated about how consumer behaviour has transformed in a post-pandemic world. “There has been a massive shift in consumer choices after the pandemic as everybody started investing in pieces that would last long. Now, everything has bounced back to normal and the past few months have been very encouraging.”

Thrilled about her debut showcase on the runway, Sharma concludes by divulging plans for the future, “I would love to do fashion weeks again this year. I’m also looking forward to opening a new store this year.”