By Nivedita
New Delhi, Jun 20 (IANS): This is an exciting year for Shyamal and Bhumika Shodhan as they plan to reach out to more brides in India and abroad. They designer couple also aspires to take Indian crafts and skills to the world as they feel India has been the textile hub of the world for time immemorial.
"After Ahmedabad and Mumbai, we opened our third flagship store at the DLF Emporio in Capital. We are on our mission to take the crafts and skills of India to the World," Shyamal told IANS in an e-mail interview.
"Being one of most globally followed Indian designers on social media, we have been able to make headway in our mission and establish a connection between the niche, multi-cultural population abroad and the rich Indian craftsmanship.
"We are creating designs that appeal to not only the Indian brides but also encompass boundaries to bring in the multicultural global bride. We hope to grow in the international fashion sector in the coming year while designing for India Couture Week and other design collaborations," he added.
Bhumika too feels that over the years, couture has come of age and evolved tremendously.
"India has been the textile hub of the world for time immemorial and has also been foremost in luxury fashion through its ancient form of embroidery technique. Today, brides from all economic and cultural strata want to epitomize their individuality in their wedding outfit and opt for couture, making space for designers to create special wedding ensembles keeping each bride in mind.
"As each designer brings something distinctive to the table, the mix of sensibilities, applications and visions stem interesting options for all to choose from," she told IANS.
Established in the year 2003, Shyamal and Bhumika is one of India's leading fashion houses. They seek inspiration from the rich Indian heritage and history from the ancient culture and use its precious crafts and artisan techniques to create couture collections relevant to the modern-day sensibilities.
Many celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut have been spotted in outfits from the brand.
So how they see the growth of Indian fashion industry?
"The versatility and diversity of the fashion industry is most fascinating," said Shyamal.
Added Bhumika: "It is filled by inspirations of our intriguing and remarkable history, ideas and knowledge that manifest through every individual who has an innovative or captivating thought to share with the world. The Indian Fashion industry is headed for a structured growth over the next few years and will have designers who will make it to the global mainstream of couture and fashion."
Their ethereal, soft, romantic bridal collection was praised a lot at fashion weeks.
Talking about the inspirations, Shyamal says that as designers, they combine traditional crafts and modern silhouettes and use age-old craft in a new way that appeals to the contemporary aesthetic of the modern global brides.
"We create clothes keeping in mind our muse, her tastes and experiences. These intricately hand-worked and handmade timeless ensembles create an everlasting impression on all," said Shyamal.
Bhumika says that their "design philosophy is to revive some of India's dying arts and crafts such as hand weaving, hand embroidery and bring these crafts back to the forefront."
"We live in India's first UNESCO World Heritage City - Ahmedabad and there are subtle inspirations all around us. From nature to architecture, monuments, museums, installations, textile archives, or our personal travels - inspirations are everywhere," she said.