Taking Tamil Nadu fashion to Paris

Two young women — Aishwarya Balan and Swathi Venkatesan from Chennai and Coimbatore, have put Tamil Nadu on a global map by showcasing their collections at the Asian European Fashion Week 2017, which was held in the fashion capital of Paris. Organised by Rex Christy, the fashion week saw an amalgamation of talents from all across the world.

While the 21-year-old Aishwarya came to know about the show from a friend, Swathi got the details from social media. For the girls, taking part in fashion events across the world was always the ultimate goal.

Swathi, 22, chose to display her lehenga collection to showcase the richness of Indian bridal wear. For Swathi, representing the country was a bigger responsibility. She says, “It’s a great feeling because going away from home and showcasing my talent in the fashion capital of the world is something on a whole new level.”

Aishwarya took to a different theme, which is a tribute to a woman she knows. “She was this really happy person who kept herself busy and wore colourful clothes. No one, however, knew that all that was to cover a bad past as a child. Regardless of how happy she tried to be, her past never let go of her. So, my collection was based on her life. The garments are really colourful and filled with prints, which keep it really busy. The models also had black lace tied around their hands symbolising the bad past which never let go of her.” However, she claims that her westernised garments would always have an Indian soul.

Both Aishwarya and Swathi started working on their apparels the minute they received the confirmation from the AEFW team. In an excited tone, Aishwarya tells us, “I wanted to do the best I could with the available time as I am also working on my graduation collection simultaneously in college. I always wanted to do a collection as a tribute to my friend, so I started working on it the very next second.” On the other hand, Swathi started designing lehengas with the imported fabric from India. She finally sewed them together at her apartment in Paris.

Like every other fashion graduate, Aishwarya wants to start her own brand with universal styles (of course, with an Indian touch), while Swathi aspires to start a bridal boutique.

Fashion trends Chennai needs to catch on

Aishwarya: From what I have seen in the fashion weeks that have happened recently, there are several trends like volume on the
shoulders, statement sleeves, seventies’ prints, leather fringes, a lot of
yellow and pink, etc.

Swathi: Oversized shoulders and hide and seek cut-outs are trending this year