Jyothi Sachdev, counted among the City’s emerging design talents, recently held a show in Barcelona, where she presented her summer/spring collection of pret wear. Metrolife asked her to share nuggests on the Spanish fashion scenario.

Jyothi decided on fashion designing for a lark but figured that to be a professional it was essential to train. Enrolling with NIFT, Delhi, she interned with JJ Vallaya learning the finer nuances of the soon-to-grow industry. JJ encouraged her to present a collection. ‘Go wild! Do something different’, she recalls him as saying. She did a small collection experimenting with leather and lace and he loved it. He told her to market that product, but the suggestion shocked her, for in the late Nineties, there were not many buyers.

Jyothi is a fighter. She realised soon that designing is only one aspect of creativity, and she had to learn how to handle the entire business. That’s when she studied the market, opened a small unit in Delhi before coming to Bangalore ten years ago to start her unit.

Doing considerable amount of research for her presentation in Barcelona, Jyothi studied the fashion leanings of the Spanish people and found that black, white and grey were the basic colours people preferred and they liked minimistic embellishment. She also found that they often dress up an outfit with exotic accessories. After observing the trends, she worked on a collection with a difference.

The collection of evening gowns and skirts was made using plain and printed mull, linen and silk. She incorporated bright Indian colours and motifs in the tops. She also concentrated on texturing and silhouettes. The show in Sutton was well received. She also invited store owners to check out the collection and she says, she was satisfied with the response.

“I was quite surprised to see how particular and fussy foreign buyers are about the finish. Unlike in India, they turn the garments upside down, try them on live models. You can’t sell just anything there. The pricing is higher than in the domestic market. People everywhere are willing to pay for designer clothes and for that they expect sober, sophisticated quality.”

While processing her orders, Jyothi’s now working on a winter collection with taffeta and silk. She is also gearing up to take her ensembles for a show during the inauguration of the international golf tournament in Colombo on October 10.

“The Indian sector in Colombo is huge. I have two lines in European designs and one in ethnic Indian wear to showcase. Saris are the fastest moving items, but people can’t be bothered with draping. So I have created ready-to-wear ( pre-stitched) saris, which are quite popular,” she explains.

After Colombo, her next stop will be Bali, where she plans to incorporate digital printing which is hot on the fashion scene. The collection will have traditional Bali and Indian prints. Jyothi’s also excited about working on a line of home furnishings, which she assures will be unusual.