Comfort is a major factor: Gurmeen Shrivastav

Gurmeen's designs not only include the bride and groom, but has something special for friends and family to wear to the wedding

Designer Gurmeen Shrivastav’s custom-made brand — ‘Nyshaas Syaahi Sa Vastra’ — a sustainable designer-wear brand celebrates women of all ages.

Women’s bodies tend to change, and if someone is investing huge amounts in a set of clothes and if they are unable to wear it in a year or two, it goes to waste. Gurmeen fills that gap.

She keeps experimenting and has recently come up with something new and wholesome, where she not only focuses on the bride and the groom but also their relatives and friends.

She also provides employment to women from less-privileged sections. In a candid interview with Metrolife, she talks about the modern Indian bride and bridal fashion trends.

What are the current popular trends in bridal fashion?

The bridal trends in India have not changed much with time. It will probably be the same even in the future. Be it a Punjabi bride or a Marwari bride, most brides prefer red lehengas, and it is a colour that has remained constant in trend.

Do brides continue to prioritise grandeur over comfort, or has that changed over the years?

Unlike old times, today comfort is a major factor. One can only enjoy wearing their wedding outfit if they are comfortable.

Even after the wedding, people crave to wear their wedding outfits. If they are not comfortable, it would not be their favourite choice for future functions.

Is there a market for second-hand wedding attires in India?

In the first world countries, pre-loved clothing is a thing, but in India, we are still to catch up with the trend. Wedding attire has a lot of emotional value attached to it, and people would not want to sell it.

Also, brides want to be the best version of themselves on their wedding day, so they want the perfect attire. However, I think that pre-loved clothing could be an option for others who are attending the function.

Do you think the fashion industry in India is slowly becoming sustainable?

Fashion is one of the fields with maximum wastage. We are still trying to be a sustainable industry in India, but it is a long journey.

Many new and upcoming brands focus on the sustainability part a lot more than the old brands. Some brands use leftover materials to make accessories and other useful items.

How has it been to work with a team of 30 lesser-privileged women?

They are amazing. They learned really quickly, and we trained them about how can we use even the last cutting of cloth that usually goes to waste.

They were surprised as they never thought that even the smallest piece of fabric could be transformed into something useful.