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International Fashion designers have decided to go seasonless, which has inspired designers back home: Designer Shehla Khan
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High on Persona is elated to pay obeisance and reverence to the spirit of womanhood and all those women who have sizeably contributed to society We salute the spirit of all those women who are balancing their home and work while touching new dimensions of success and all those women who have the courage to do something on their own and do not lose courage even if they are not successful. To celebrate the occasion High on Persona proudly presents the series of interviews done with women from different fields and genres. These women are the embodiment of courage and compassion and have been lauded for their achievements, they have attained success on their own terms and taking the world in their stride.
She has endured hardship and embraced all the challenges, coming her way to remain ahead of the curve. Competition is not a spoke in the wheel for her, on the contrary, she takes it as a stimulant with a proactive approach and driving force that determines her growth. When in 2020 her contemporaries were witnessing a downhill trend and sulking over plummeting business she remained positive and hellbent to expand and make a blueprint for 2021.
And for the protégée of Manish Malhotra, to move on is the name of the game, “I think the fashion industry has already bounced back. I would say that there’s definitely, like we discussed before, a new normal that we all have to come to terms with. 2020 was a struggle for everyone, but from December onwards, there has been a resurgence where I think everyone has learned to survive despite everything that is going on around them. And I believe, presently, things are headed in a promising direction because this new normal has become the norm.”
Driven by Ingenuity and virtuosity her work has been constantly evolving to display character and class and exhibiting her sense of style that is feminine, opulent, and futuristic. Her designs are Vibrant, ebullient, and exuberant. Spirit of Paris and the romanticism of Parisian reflects in her designs making her ensembles chic and young. Although the creative part of her work remains the most favorite for her but being the sole entrepreneur of her brand she loves to interject in every aspect of the brand, whether it is administrative, marketing, or networking.
All this provides a glimpse into her journey of the past 10 years that began with zero investment. Today she remains prima donna of fashion in Bollywood and her elite clientele boasts of top Bollywood actresses including Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Katrina Kaif, Kiara Advani and the list is endless. However, she remains humble and grounded for being the most sought-after designer, “I would give entire credit to the expanding market of fashion, which has helped me be on my toes to continually recreate and develop new strategies and new ways to put out my work”.
High on Persona had a candid conversation with Shehla Khan over the resurgence of fashion, expansion of her label Shehla Khan trends in bridal fashion 2021 while unspooling intricacies of fashion and changing dynamics of the industry.
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Excerpts from Interview
Q. How has your work evolved over the years, since you started?
So when I started, I already had a niche for myself because I was the only person in this whole bracket of very detailed and delicate Indian wear, but over the years, there had been a resurgence of fashion in India; introduced to so many talents and brands. Most of them are doing similar stuff, so the consumers have a lot of variety to choose from. And I think over the years, I would say, I have evolved in really expanding my horizons and learning to believe competition is healthy. It is something that keeps you going; rather than looking at it as the competition, I look at it as an inspiration to drive me further to put my work out there in the best way possible.
Q. You call Manish Malhotra your mentor so what is the best learning you got from Manish Malhotra?
The best learning I got from him is that hard work can take you through everything because we had remade someone’s wedding lehenga in one night. We had rechanged an entire look for a film song in like 24 hours just through hard work. There were impossible situations that we actually made possible because of his encouragement and his belief in that. And I think that’s one thing I have really taken from him. Look at him, he still looks younger than all of us, and he is always succeeding in every facet.
Q. How do you perceive fashion? Fashion is a reflection of your personality or an idea of wearing your attitude. Is it a style statement or a way of life?
Fashion, for me, is a form of expression. It is probably the highest form of expression because I take it so seriously. It is my passion. When you look at a person wearing just a plain white t-shirt and jeans, it doesn’t mean they are not fashionable or underdressed. It is your carriage; It is how you wear those jeans and shirt, and it is also about how your attitude is along with it. Your carriage and attitude have a lot to do with your fashion and style sense.
Q. In the context of the Indian fashion industry Market of bridal fashion is bursting at the seams with a deluge of Designers catering to specific segments only; what other segment are you thinking of experimenting in?
Of course, as I said earlier, the more talent is introduced in the industry, the more variety of choices is available to the consumers. It kind of helps me be on my toes, to strive to do better, be it coming out with new ideas, refreshing designs, or conceptualizing my collections; So that I can stand out in the crowd without having to imitate anyone or standing in someone’s way.
Q. Shehla, I also gathered some information that you’re planning to venture into the men’s wear fashion segment also and Karan Johar was your first muse. Tell us something about that.
So I created a couple of looks for Karan even before my Lakme fashion week show. I happened to make a couple of looks for him for Koffee with Karan, and for some appearances, he did at that time. They were quite well received, so then I started doing customized men’s wear. I haven’t made a collection per se as yet, but I definitely do upon customization.
Q. We have seen many Bollywood actresses donning your collection. Who looks best and remains your favorite?
I can’t choose one, I think all of them are beautiful in their own way, and it is a pleasure to dress each one of them, and I would like to continue it as long as I can.
Q. We have also seen designers facing issues in dealing with celebs, like clothes being returned in a damaged state or returned late, etc. Do you also face similar experiences if you would like to mention any such incident?
No, because whoever I have worked with so far on a direct basis, whichever celebrity I have worked with has always been very responsible for returning the garment. If there is a makeup stain once in a while, which is one of the most common issues that I have learned how to deal with at the beginning of my career, in that case, they are gentle enough to always offer to have it dry cleaned themselves. Still, we prefer to do it ourselves because we are more aware of dealing with the specific garment. Other than that, we don’t face any issues; everyone I have worked with so far has been extremely responsible and respectful towards it.
Q. What is your perspective on clients’ fashion sense and sensibility toward fashion?
It depends from person to person. Today Indian women are overly exposed to fashion maybe through celebrities, films, tv shows, or just introduction to all these high street fashion and luxury brands in India. So, in my opinion, everyone has a kind of preference for dressing. Maybe somebody has particular traditional choices they like to stick by or specific silhouettes they are comfortable wearing. Some people are experimental, and they leave it up to the designers, but some people are peculiar. They have a particular color or design preference. Sometimes They would come to us and bring something and expect us to recreate it for them. So it depends on the individual choices. Everyone has their own kind of preferences and fashion sense and personal understanding of what they want.
Q. Every time Offering novelty and innovativeness in the same segment must be challenging for you, one has to be very creative and very experimentative to pull the customers, From where you get new ideas now and then?
Firstly, I don’t find it challenging to cater to each person because I really enjoy being a part of making people look beautiful, be it women or men. I love to be surrounded by beauty in every form, whether it’s nature, art cinema, jewelry, or even furniture or vintage antiques. So I believe that it depends on each collection and my mood at that time. So when I started, I always had this obsession with the French Queen Marie Antoinette just because of the lifestyle she lived. She was also a connoisseur in fashion in her time. Makers would dress her from all over the world with the world that would come with accessories, dresses, wigs, ornaments, and all kinds of decorative fashion items for her. So I was very inspired by her. She encouraged my final project in college, so it was quite apparent that she inspired my first ever collection when I started my brand. Then I also did a collection inspired by the movie Pride and Prejudice and there was a collection I did inspire by the movie Moulin Rouge. One of my collections was also inspired by Queen Diana; she was one of the most stylish icons. She was the epitome of style, and she still remains one of the most popular style icons, especially with the research of 80s and 90’s fashion. Everyone goes back to her iconic looks. Designers from all over would die to create a look for her. So like I said, it could be a museum I visited or traveling to new places. I might sound very cliché, but I think Paris’s mood is so romantic and artistic in every way possible it is a kind of a happy place for me whenever I go there, I come back with new learning and inspiration.
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Q. What is your forecast for new bridal fashion 2021 trends?
I wouldn’t put a forecast for the entire 2021. Still, I think in the times to come, what I have done and what I have become has entirely transformed because of the way the world is going right now, and I think somewhere it was Immanent even before the pandemic for us to really become more conscious of the environment wherein our creations are concerned because a lot of chemical usage is involved in the process of creating garments and becoming selective and more aware of that is something this pandemic has pushed us to implicate.
In terms of bridal wear, I think brides have become more conscious of not spending a lot of money on their bridal outfit as a one-time thing. She is recycling it, making it memorable enough not only for herself but may be to pass it onto future generations. I think that is something that has come in with this last year.
Q. Can you also suggest a few must-haves for girls who are attending a wedding that they can recycle or just mix and match and use for several occasions while still having the feeling of wearing something new and fresh?
I think it really depends from person to person because there are brides who say that they don’t want to look over the top, and then there are brides who come and say that they wish for something dazzling. But because I am very passionate about intricacy, I try to make each piece of the outfit, whether it is a lehenga, dupatta, and choli; or saree and blouse, or a gown, recyclable in the sense that you can wear with other combinations as well. Like you could wear a choli with a saree or a pair of sharara pants, or you can wear a lehenga with a western blouse or a plain chiffon blouse. So I think these are the ways by which you can reuse clothes for different occasions. Some people expect us to recycle their wedding lehenga entirely, so what we do is sometimes we make a saree into a lehenga or other way around a lehenga into a saree. Some people don’t want a lehenga, so we try to recreate a lehenga into an Anarkali or salwar kameez suit.
Q. Fashion is not just designing and creating but marketing and networking for the realization of business. Do you interject in all the areas, or you remain focused on designing?
As the brand’s sole entrepreneur, even though to say frankly, I started with absolutely zero business. If anything, the last ten years of my brand going has taught me is kind of how to sustain. Because the brand’s sustainability is the most important thing, you can always start with a brand and then just become irrelevant over a while in the crowd, which only multiplies with time. So I believe that is something I have learned over time. I would give entire credit to the expanding market of fashion, which has helped me be on my toes to continually recreate and develop new strategies and new ways to put out my work. Of course, being a creative person, the creative part is my favorite part; I love referencing. I love finding images from all over to inspire me while I conceptualize my collection. I have so many books on fashion, art, and royal jewelry. However, I participate in every aspect of the brand, whether it is administrative marketing or networking.
Q. Do you think the fashion industry will immediately bounce back, or will the recovery stretch over a long period?
I think it has already bounced back. I would say that there’s definitely, as we discussed before, a new normal that we all have to come to terms with. 2020 was a struggle for everyone, but from December onwards, there has been a resurgence where I think everyone has learned to survive despite everything that is going on around them. And I believe, presently, things are headed in a promising direction because this new normal has become the norm. Sustainability has become more eco-friendly, and International designers have decided to go seasonless, which has inspired us.
She has been there and done that. After graduating from Delhi University, she completed her diploma in Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Delhi. Down the line, she completed her internship with National Herald Newspaper successfully,, and went on to Join Mainline Business daily, Business Standard. She also dabbled in image management and brand consultancy. She is a prolific writer on lifestyle entertainment, branding, lifestyle, travel, and politics.
Contact her at [email protected]
