Fashion is missing a soul: Priyadarshini Rao

Designer Priyadarshini Rao, who has completed 20 years in the fashion industry, says that the industry is missing a soul. However, she says that now the young designers understand what the Indian textile is all about and it's a good change.

"I have been in this industry for 20 years now. I do not think I am part of this race and yet I make a decent living. Every industry is made up of people who are competitive... be it movies, art, banking or politics. The fashion industry is no different," she added.

Rao prefers to define her work as luxury pret and believes that her customer is someone who seeks an elegant and evolved clothing solution, rather than a frivolous fashion victim chasing fleeting fashion fads.

At the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016, she showcased a collection that was inspired by the Japanese embroidery Sashiko.

"The motifs from this Japanese embroidery have been used in prints. Fabrics were new-age naturals like modal, bemberg and tencel. We also used patchwork, pin tucks and pleating as surface textures," she said.

Being a textile enthusiast, she feels that ever since sustainable fashion has come into vogue, one has seen more handlooms and hand-worked textiles and clothing on the fashion runways.

"This is certainly a positive change. The eye for detail has reemerged and the younger brigade now understands what the Indian heritage is all about," she said.

She also feels that modernising textile art will add to its longevity. "Having an indigenous fashion industry will serve us well for decades to come. It will help conserve our crafts and age-old traditions by keeping them trendy.

Designers play a key role by bringing textile art to the consumer and I believe that modernising these arts will add to its longevity," she said.