Bound by the laundry cord

Archana Rao’s collection for the upcoming Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week is inspired by the clothes line, on which we dry our laundry. So there would be the father’s classic formal shirt pinned alongside the mother’s handkerchiefs and their baby girl’s rosy frocks.

“When you dry your everyday laundry, you realise how everything is so diverse but synchronised at the same time,” says the designer.

Archana’s inspiration has primarily been everyday life and things used in it. She has taken it one notch higher by combining two contrasting elements and creating designs that are both “delicate and romantic”.

“In this collection I have tried to have a clash of men’s and women’s wear. Like you would have rose and floral embroidery combined with gingham checks. In that sense, I have played around a lot with textures, prints and patterns,” adds Archana.

For the designer, who is also an illustrator, this collection will finally see her illustrations find a way into her outfits. She says, “This is the first time a clothes line will have a lot of digitally printed illustrations of mine. I think the result is interesting.”

Although she hasn’t shared her collections with buyers as of yet, Archana hopes that she will get to interact with them at the upcoming fashion week, and also explore the possibilities of branching out to newer cities.

Speaking of a celebrity whom she would like to see in her outfits, Archana speaks of supermodel Lakshmi Menon.

“My garments are inspired a lot from men’s wear, in the sense there are a lot of tailored outfits like jackets and blazers which have a strong sense of personality and Lakshmi feels like someone who could pull it off,” she says.

With summers around the corner, the designer  stresses on the importance of being comfortable in whatever one wears.
“It’s important to be effortless and wear something which suits your personality. A classic white shirt is something both men and women can never go wrong with,” she adds.