CELEBRATED DESIGNER PAYAL KHANDWALA
TO SHOWCASE HER AW 18 COLLECTION AT PR
The 15th of November will see lauded Indian powerhouse designer Payal Khandawala showcase her current collection at PR on Horton Place, one of Colombo’s finest independent fashion stores where you’ll find handpicked, cleverly curated collections, a prestigious mix of new local and established international designer labels.
Payal Khandawala’s AW 18 Collection was inspired by the The Tuaregs, a muslim, semi nomadic tribe founded by Queen Hinan in the 4th century. Today around 2 million Tuaregs inhabit the Saharan desert of Africa. Taureg women enjoy equal status in society, they own their homes and livestock. They enjoy the same freedom as their men. Tuareg women also marry much later than other women in the area and they don’t give up their freedom, still owning their property after they marry. When Tuareg marriages end in divorce, it is often the woman that decides she has had enough. In fact, the women are celebrated because they are single again. In Taureg society prenuptial agreements are the norm, and after the divorce, women keep all their possessions, the tent and the domestic animals that the tribe relies on to survive. They also keep the children. Tuareg women do not traditionally cover their faces with veils, but men will conceal theirs at the start of puberty and continue to cover their faces in front of most women and elders, except their wives and girlfriends.
“I found this to be so intriguing, in a western world that prides itself in being ‘progressive’, the Tuaregs, whom we might consider ‘primitive’ have redefined the rules to truly empower their women, with the support of their men. It questions what we consider acceptable in the name of tradition and rewrites our idea of ‘conventional’. This collection is inspired by this New Order and by the strength of these women and the men that stand behind them. The Tuaregs have been called the “blue people” for the indigo-dye coloured clothes they traditionally wear and which stains their skin.
The most prominent colour being blue, often attributed to boys, becomes central. Strong shades of sapphire, cobalt, cerulean, indigo and black are offset by a soft amber that mimics the sands of their desert environment. In this collection, we add suede and velvets, to our offering of handwoven silks and organzas, in shapes that marry both structure and drape. Our Tachi accessories in steel borrow from the shapes and symbols of traditional Tuareg silver jewellery, but in our signature minimal way.
We chose to marry all our developments in Benaras this season. New studies in brocades, traditional in their vocabulary and others with more contemporary motifs from our spring summer line, are teamed with our most current geometric explorations from the
Tuareg culture.
The idea was to be able to seamlessly pair something new with something old. And to give our customer the option to update their wardrobe without having to replace what they love. In this way, we continue to support our philosophy of mixing and matching separates even within our festive edit. This collection like all others keeps in mind our brand DNA – clothing for women that are looking for design that is rooted in tradition but with a strong relevant voice.” - Payal Khandawala
PR the concept store by
Annika Fernando , who has a reputation as a fashion talent scout, is a local and destination store for the stylish shopper, clients can also enjoy a calendar of events throughout the year like collaborations with and hosting of original designer trunk shows, like the Payal Khadawala showcase on the 15th of November, that engage consumers and add value to a fashion landscape. PR has everything a modern chic wardrobe needs. The store also stocks elegant and sophisticated ready-to-wear from pieces from home-grown labels like KT Brown and Sonali Dharmawardene, cuttingedge from young designers like Vathsala Gunasekera and Dinushi Pamanuwas La Pard, classic-but-cool pieces from KUR, heavy hitting international names like Prayal Pratap. Exquisite jewellery from Papillon du the and Cher by Chevonne and laid-back offerings of off-duty staples from her own label MAUS to name just a few.
“I found this to be so intriguing, in a western world that prides itself in being ‘progressive’, the Tuaregs, whom we might consider ‘primitive’ have redefined the rules to truly empower their women, with the support of their men”