Shlok & awe in a chic avatar

She’s only 23, and just seven-months-old in the fashion circle. Yet, she’s launched her new collection alongside Bengaluru’s big names like Manoviraj Khosla and Michelle Salins. Shloka Sudhakar, a calm and confident finance graduate, got into the field of fashion at a very young age. A?thorough Bengalurean and a pass-out from Bishop Cottons, hers is the story of a tom-boy who turned to fashion because of the creativity that it involved. She unveiled her collection, Avatar, on January 25 at Bangalore Fashion Week.

“My collection is apt for young Indian women. It starts with mini saris, (saris that are the length of a skirt), that have a Western touch to them. It gradually enters into full-fledged Indian apparel,” she says, adding that the clothes involve all sorts of work, like cut-work and embroidery. “I’ve added a tinge of gold work in all my designs to give it a royal touch. Although most designers make clothes that are suitable only for the ramp, my designs can be worn by the average woman,” she says. A student who aspired to assist Ramesh Dembla a year ago, she informs that it’s serendipitous that it didn’t work out. “I didn’t get that chance to assist him. But I’m glad, I didn’t, as I wouldn’t have my own line of clothes, and I wouldn’t be exhibiting it on the same ramp as him, on the same day,” she smiles.

A spontaneous artist, who studied design for a year, she sketches as and when she feels like. “I’m inspired by Ritu Beri. I’ve seen her shows and I hope to make it as big as her,” she adds. She has already launched her collections a few times before, but never on such a huge platform. “I’m really lucky I got this chance. It wasn’t easy. My designs and I, both had to go through rounds of quality testing,” she says. Her aim is to have her collections displayed in as many stores in India as possible!

The fitness freak, who could any day pull of a modelling profession as well, feels she never gave it a thought. “It’s not my thing. I used to be more of a tom-boy. Besides, I intend to grow as a designer. If you’re a model, you have a very short span. Age matters there,” she says smartly. The youngster who enjoys her daily dose of power yoga and kick-boxing is already walking alongside stars, who were her show stoppers. “I had two celeb show stoppers, both from the Kannada film industry, Mythriya and Naina,” she says. A basketball and table tennis lover, she has entered the fashion world with a big bang and intends to stay and make her mark here.