All the right CORDS

Becoming the f irst female Indian designer to present at Par is Haute Couture Week 2021, des igner Vaishali Shadangule tell s us why India will always be close to her heart

- TANYA MEHTA

Cords of chanderi silk snaking up the collar bone, a blouse fanning out like origami – both structured and light, tree branches, intricate like filigree adorn the back of a jacket. The first time I laid eyes on a Vaishali S ensemble, it was nothing short of breathtaking. Born and raised in the small town of Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, Vaishali Shadangule has always been an unassuming figure on India’s boisterous fashion circuit. The designer started making clothes 20 years ago before undergoing any formal training, from a small studio in Malad, in Mumbai. Today, she’s showcased her collections at New York Fashion Week and stocks in fashion capitals around the globe. But, she still remembers the first time she showed at Lakmé Fashion Week, in 2011 – she felt like an outlier, “I’ve never been good at networking, I always prefer speaking in Hindi. I took my bow on the runway dressed in a sari and wore a bindi – something very normal for me but everyone else found it weird.