Exclusive: Payal Khandwala gives us a preview of her S/R ’16 collection
This year Payal Khandwala’s spring/summer collection is all about geometry. The designer was inspired by two of her favourite artists Richard Serra and Franz Kline, her daughter’s school curriculum and a long time love for simple and complex shapes. Hand-woven by craftsmen from Varanasi and Bengal, the collection features colour blocked mulberry and matka silk textiles. This season, Khandwala is also slated to showcase a hand-crafted line called ‘Tachi’ which will include leather accessories, bags and belts. In addition to this, there will also be an exciting new line of brass and leather jewellery, which will include earrings, necklaces and rings, nose-pins and anklets. We caught up with the designer and got an exclusive preview into her upcoming collection, which she will be presenting at a special off-site show on the 1st of April at Lakme Fashion Week.
Payal Khandwala: Humble beginnings. The colour story and one of the most crucial starting points for this collection and all others. These harmless swatches will be the force that drives the entire collection home. Always my favourite part too…in the mood for spring/summer!
PK: Just in and fresh off the loom, our colours make way for a hand woven silk sari ready to be draped! We worked long and hard so that it has just the right weight and fall, with that lightness of being which will make it soft and comfortable but also luxurious. Thrilled with the results…
PK: A cut here and a nip there, with an expert sleight of hand and a faithful pair of scissors, masterji goes about his day’s work as though it nothing special. But an intuitive pattern maker is the difference between a good garment and a great one and I’m grateful for our very special inhouse pattern making genius!
PK: A stitch in time in this case gets a collection ready for fittings. A great pattern won’t go too far without nimble fingers and a light foot. Our tailors work tirelessly and with precision, behind the scenes, and sometimes under pressure, to finish our garments so well, that you could wear them inside out. Thank god for them.
PK: What a good old compass can do…makes me think of the nostalgia of geometry class, the sound of that metal box, my faithful set square and exams. Minus the exams now, its all the more fun. These drawings were the beginning of a line of brass accessories that was a joy to design.
PK: From paper to brass, our circles and squares take shape. The punched negative shapes will become accessories too. We try to waste less. Soon these will be strung, soldered and ready to be worn.
PK: Here is a peek at the final product, one amongst our many brass accessories that will be launched this season is this ring. One of my favourites, it doubles up as a weapon. Stay tuned for many more – bangles, earrings, necklaces, anklets and nosepins…
PK: Rolls of leather at our studio, some of these got cut and sewn into belts, bags and shoes. Sourced and handcrafted in India we were lucky to find the colours we did for our SS’16 palette!
PK: Here is what we made from that roll of unassuming leather. A different type of bag for a different type of girl. It’s large but not bulky yet has lots of space. Part of the reason I designed these and others like it, was because I could never find a bag that I wanted to carry that echoed the clothes I wore. A part of our accessories label Tachi, its a bag I carry around all the time and comes in several colours!
PK: Our footwear for the show just arrived! Last but not the least, a lady must be comfortable and nothing spells relaxed like a good old fashioned chappal. This one is handmade with leather and silk, to add just that bit of luxury whilst keeping it simple and sensible for the coming summer!
