As a little girl, Bengalurean Sita Mikhail was often found toying around with myriad textures; draping styles and fabrics, as a part of her experiments, much to the annoyance of her parents. “They were upset that a lot of great fabrics were being bought on a whim, and going to waste as part of my experiments. But, they never stopped me for doing anything I loved,” begins the 38-year old designer who was the only designer from Bengaluru to showcase her designs at the recently held Lakme Fashion Week 2018 in Mumbai. In a free-wheeling chat, she tells us more.
Speaking of her collection, Sita says, “I think the effort to create something that just going with the flow is what worked in our favour. Our collection was based on stained glass, the inspiration is stained glass on architecture across the world.
Designer Sita at a recently held fashion event
I was always fascinated by this form of art and thought of a way to put it on garments,” she shares, adding, “We finally created garments with stained glass, hand embroidery using very edgy and interesting silhouettes which we presented on the runway. Neha Sharma walked for us which was the cherry on the cake, our experience was more than just wonderful and we want to keep dreaming, aim to be noticed across the world and feet always on the ground.
While the flair for designing comes naturally to her, Sita believes it was sheer serendipity that worked in her favour. “I’ve always loved designing, but a few twists and turns down the road led me to taking up a course in Nutrition and dietetics for masters, and ended up working as a nurtitionist for a good five years. But, things took a turn for the best and my husband and I set up our first boutique in 2011. We had no strategy or plan etched.” Certainly, things fell in place just the way they wanted it to. “I always wanted to become a designer, and so did dad. So, I feel it’s his blessings from above,” she smilingly believes. Speaking of her biggest support system, pat comes the response. “My husband is my best friend and most trusted critic. We share similar interests and he’s always up to help me. On the work front, finding beauty in unique and quirky things inspire me.”
A fitness buff and foodie by nature; Sita Mikhail is often on the go, even on an off day. “I’d like to believe that I have an eye for details and all the good things in life. Since, my work doesn’t really feel like work, you’ll see me at work even during the weekends,” signs off the city designer, who is currently prepping for a wedding junction show to be held early next month in Mumbai.
