It's raining monsoon shades

Seasonal style

Creativity is innate to her and she grew up looking up to her mother, whom she addresses as an elegant lady. A beholder of fashion, Jyoti Sachdev Iyer is a renowned designer in the Indian fashion industry, who has always matched her style with the changing times. “My passion for fashion has evolved over the years,” she says.

A graduate of NIFT, she started her career in 1998 and initially set up her studio in New Delhi but soon shifted base to Bengaluru. Her innovations with fabrics reached a whole new peak when she represented Indian fashion in global design houses like La Perla, Fendi and Kenzo. Her new collection for the monsoon season — ‘Twirls and Twists’ — keeps up with the raining trends and has subtle shades with elegant patterns. “My new collection takes its inspiration from the Mughal period,” she says. The dresses in this collection, apt to its name, have beautiful twirls complementing artistic twists along with flattering silhouettes. With a splash of royalty, her collection “goes a century back and has patterns of royal architecture”.

A travel enthusiast as well, her creativity also takes inspiration from her travels as she says, “I adapt art forms from different countries and imbibe them in my designs. My trip to Australia and New Zealand introduced me to aboriginal art, which I have used in my designs after combining with Indian art.” With dainty pastels and neutral tones in tulle, georgette and chanderi, her collection is an epitome of poise and grace.

Muslins, chanderis, silks and many more... Jyoti is an admirer of Indian textiles. “Chinese and other fabrics are to be avoided as nothing can match the charm of Indian fabrics. Our handloom fabric, Khadi, is rich and it is important for designers to promote these unmatched and dying fabrics. There is no need for us to adopt any western fabrics,” she explains.

A veteran who has been in the industry for over two decades now, she says that every day is a new challenge for her. “At present, every other person has a skill in designing and this calls for us to keep up with the trends. We have to always think ahead of time and put our minds into how feasible a design can be.” She comments that people are quite aware of what they want to wear and she has to make sure to meet their requirements for the best of attires. “My job is an exciting challenge!” she remarks.

Owner of her namesake store in the City, Jyoti feels, “Fashion in Bengaluru is more casual. People do not mind experimenting. But in Delhi and Mumbai, there are more fashion conscious people. The fashion sense in this City is, however, picking up.”

Terming her exposure in the global fashion industry as a fun experience, she says, “People abroad appreciate the Indian craftsmanship. Handloom, handwoven and embroidered designs attract them and they are much sought-after.”

 She does both Indian and Western clothing lines and says that her western apparel collection has an Indian touch to it. She wants to revive and support the Indian textile industry and the dying Indian tribal art. Her new collection will be launched on July 31 at Ffolio in Bengaluru.