The designer-duo from Hyderabad, Aaliyah and Deepa, recently showcased their first collection in the City.

 “This was our first show so there were many things we were not sure of like the buyers market and stuff. That’s why we didn’t invest a lot and kept it very simple, in colours of black,” says Aaliyah. 

They say that they don’t understand why designer clothes must be synonymous with high costs. “Other designers use a lot of expensive things on clothes and their products are priced in lakhs while we are just in thousands. We are happy about that right now and plan to maintain our prices this way,” says Aaliyah. Deepa adds, “Our idea is to create clothes which are cheap and where the consumer isn’t investing too much. People generally wear the dresses just once so it makes sense to make something that is cheap or something that people can pair up with something else and use. As a student or a professional, I could never afford designer wear.”

How did the two meet? “We were in the same college and Deepa was my teacher. It just happened and we decided to start designing two months ago. We have used voiles, nets, laces and printed cotton and pulled off a collection that is very simple,” says Aaliyah. “We were not happy how things were going in our respective lives so we decided if we want to do something together, it would be designing,” adds Deepa. According to her, the trend right now is fusion. “People are experimenting with the looks. They don’t want to go with one particular look. Now you can wear a kurta not just with a chudidar, but with a palazzo or a well-fitted pants.”

The newcomers have already charted out a plan for themselves. “We are planning to come up with a classical bridal wear, which might be expensive, but otherwise we plan to stick to the price range of some thousands. Fashion is all about comfort,” says Aaliyah. “We also have some exhibitions planned because we are still young in the industry and don’t know much. We hope in another two years, we will be somewhere,” she sums up.