The Arabian flavour

It is not always that we end up doing what we have been pursuing. There are times when a sudden realisation can change the way we look at life’s goals. Even after completing her BCom Honours course, designer Divya Gupta is one of those who realised that her passion lies in designing clothes instead. That was when she began exploring the possibilities of creating her own clothing label and launched the ‘Divya Gupta’ label.

Her forte lies in ‘zardozi’ embroidery. To enhance the ‘zardozi’ work, she adds other hand embroideries like ‘dabka’ and ‘zari’ with nuances of sequins and hints of ‘gota’. Almost all her garments are accentuated with the use of ‘aari’ embroidered trims with the final touches of the modern technique of cutwork.

“I was an academically focussed child and did my graduation in commerce but creativity was where my heart lay. Slowly, it blossomed into a passion for designing and initially I started creating garments for family and close friends,” says Divya.

Her latest collection — ‘Zween’, which means beautiful in Arabic, strikes a balance between beauty and class. Throwing light on it, she explains, “The collection has a strong Arabic and Persian influence in the design. And the patterns and motifs used are inspired by my travels to Morocco. The flow of the silhouettes is very Indian and beautifully blends the multicultural boundaries.” “The fabrics that I have selected are out of the finest handlooms, ranging from silks to fine cottons for the spring-summer season. The collection is for the classic and elegant yet focussing on the urban woman who wants to carry style and comfort together,” she adds. 

She also indulges in a lot of work by Banarasi artisans. In fact, her latest collection uses the craftsmanship of weavers of opulent fabrics like moonga, pashmina and Banarasi moonga brocade.

Talking about the challenges she faces as a designer, she points out, “Being a designer of Indian wear, getting the right flattering cuts for the voluminous Indian bodytype is a challenge. Moreover, since the fabrics are being sourced locally from the rich archives of the country, blending into today’s functionality and sensibilities are the other challenging factors.”
While designing clothes, she focusses on incorporating the changing trends. Besides these, she says understanding fashion might be important but to interpret it successfully during the manufacturing process is a predominant factor while creating a garment.

With the increasing competition in the fashion world, Divya’s advice to aspiring designers is to work hard with immense passion. She says, “It’s a tough but beautiful industry. However, without dedication, one can’t achieve anything. One has to work with immense drive to carve a niche where their identity and design aesthetics speak for them. The competition in this industry cannot be overlooked but with the right sense of focus, designers can present themselves on the global map.”