A well-known name in the world of fashion design, Shruti Sancheti is also an MBA, a teacher and a mother-of-two. When she isn’t busy wowing fashionistas with her elegant, bohemian, yet intricate designs or showing her fashion design students the industry’s ropes, she loves travelling. A recent visit to Antalya in Turkey has inspired her latest resortwear line, which Shruti will present at the upcoming India Resort Fashion Week in Goa.
Struck by wanderlust
When I went to the pulsating town of Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast, I was floored by the narrow cobbled streets, charming harbour, stunning beaches with golden sands, the deep blue sea and the vibrant nightlife. It totally fit my definition of a resort holiday, and overall, Turkey as a country was such a enriching experience — fabulous history, magnificent architecture, secular people and a strange but endearing conflict of European and Asian cultures. I was deeply inspired by this unique historical country.
Designing for the jet set
Rapid globalisation and increasing urbanisation means Indians now have vast exposure to a global lifestyle. They’ve started taking their holidays seriously, so resortwear is a newly emerging segment which has tremendous potential. Many Indian designers are doing a fabulous job — Wendell Rodricks, Malini Ramani, Savio Jon, Shane and Falguni Peacock. Their work is totally international and aspirational.
Charting her own path
I am deeply inspired by the work of Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga, whose work was so cherished by customers that they risked their safety during World War II to buy his clothes! Elsa Schiaparelli is another designer (whose restrained printed dresses introduced utilitarianism during the Great Depression in the 1930s instead of haute couture) who has inspired me. I also look up to Christian Dior’s New Look collection, which celebrated luxury, femineity and opulence, and wrought a revolution in the world of fashion after the two world wars.
Then again, although I admire many designers like Sabyasachi, Anamika Khanna, Rohit Bal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Anuradha Vakil and Abraham and Thakore, I feel they all have their own thought processes and I have mine. And as clichéd as it sounds, I’d rather create my own thought process and admire these stalwarts (than emulate them).