PAYAL KHANDWALA, 41, MUMBAI
Fuss-free, fierce and feminine, easy separates
USP
I grew up in Mumbai, minus the eight years I lived in New York; and the year I spent in Spain. I did fashion design from Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University, Mumbai, Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons, New York, and Contemporary Art Workshop, Metáfora Barcelona. I’m not sure I can be considered a true minimalist as I love the drama of clothes and luxurious textiles. I don’t like clutter and fuss and like to keep things simple. But I don’t compromise on colour and playfulness. Our signature colours and silhouettes really set us apart. We dress women of all ages and sizes. And unlike most other designers, our label offers breadth, so we can dress our core audience for all their wardrobe needs.
Muse
My parents are my primary influences. My dad is a non-conformist as he makes his own rules, and my mother, Vibha Khandwala, is an artist. I draw naturally from the nation’s vast history of costume, colour and abundance of crafts, but my travel and years spent abroad in New York and Barcelona shape a lot of my choices. It made my visual aesthetic more global and an exposure to street style added to the designs I do. This is why in spirit they are both bohemian as well as classic. I love silk, especially handwoven silk. It is versatile, luxurious and comes in different weights. We get our brocades and silks woven in Benares and Bhagalpur in addition to sourcing our fabric from Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. This makes them the ideal fabric to experiment with, in terms of drape and structure. Also silk yarns absorb dyes well, which allows me to play with colour in a more precise way. I like to keep things simple and sensible, fierce but always feminine. We have given women a simple, strong and sensible alternative.
Favourite Designers
In India, Rohit Bal and Sabyasachi and Anamika Khanna because besides their talent they also have a voice which is not borrowed. I also like Ruchika Sachdeva’s work. She has a great eye for humble details.
Price Range and Retail
`5,000-2,00,000, Stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore