“Tollywood fashion is iconic”
Payal Singhal defends the heavily criticised ‘hit and miss’ fashion of south
The young designer, who has a large client base in the city, says Hyderabad and her designs go well together. Defending the fashion sense in the film industry here, she calls it iconic.
Hyderabad is second home to Payal Singhal. And it has less to do with the fact that her cousins live here, and more to do with the way her designs match the sensibility of the city.
In town for the Blender’s Pride Hyderabad International Fashion Week, the designer unveiled her ‘Colours of India’ collection, inspired by designs from across the country.
The city of pearls has always been part of Payal’s process and she has worked with several people and stores here. “I have worked exten- sively with Lakshmi Manchu,” she says, adding, “Her dress sense can sometimes be hit and miss as she experiments a lot. But it’s better to experiment than stick to safe options like saris and salwar suits.”
The young designer defends the heavily criticised ‘hit and miss’ fashion down south. “People say that the colours are too jarring and the combinations don’t work. But Tollywood fashion and South Indian cinema in general has turned iconic now. Movies like Quick Gun Murugan, for instance, have immor- talised the ‘loud’ colour combinations,” she points out.
Payal travels to Hyderabad often due to her association with a few stores here and more importantly, her client base in the city. “Many of my clients are from Hyderabad. In fact, even my overseas clients are originally from here. So there is a match between my designs and the city,” she says.