For her first collection that will be unveiled on Monday at Ogaan, Banjara Hills, designer Sunaina Khera wanted a little bit of everything so that anyone browsing through that section of the store will get an idea of her design aesthetics. “I picked ensembles from my different collections, to be able to display a wider colour palette and hand embroideries,” says the designer who debuted in the GenNext segment of Lakme Fashion Week last year.
Her spring summer showcase ‘A Long Way from Home’ had garments representing five stages of grief. How does one translate such an idea into fashion? “My ideas begin that way, from a thought or a mood and seems abstract; I need a starting point and it all comes together organically,” says Sunaina.
The line had evening and occasion wear with feminine silhouettes and an understated glamour. “We do a lot of hand embroidery — ari, bead and sequin work,” says Sunaina. Some ensembles had 3D embroidered flowers on sheer fabrics. To go with the theme of the collection, the colours ranged from midnight blues to silver greys and whites.
Sunaina’s winter/festive 2019 collection ‘Dear Mom’ was more vibrant and an ode to the strongest women in her life. She mentions one of her senior most teachers and mentors at the National Institute of Fashion Design, Delhi, Banhi Jha, and says, “She helped me own by design and aesthetics and guided me.”
The Hyderabad showcase will include curated ensembles from both these collections, with a colour palette that has everything from ivory whites and pastel pinks to blue-greys. A few warmer tones were chosen keeping in mind the warmer South Indian winters as well.
The showcase, Sunaina is confident, has something for different age groups. She admits that when she started her label, she thought she would be catering to women like her in the mid 20s. “But I was proven wrong. I realised that women in every age group look for something classic when it comes to occasion wear; so I’ve been happy to have clients of different ages,” she says, signing off.
