Veteran designer Sailesh Singhania from Hyderabad showcased his new collection “Shaahana – The Royal Glory” at the prestigious Lakme Fashion Week on Sunday, 3rd February at 1:30 pm. Beautiful actress Aditi Rao Hydari looked resplendent in a beige lehenga showcasing the splendor of the legendary Queen Gulnaar, the inspiration behind Designer Sailesh Singhania’s new collection “Shaahana – The Royal Glory”. The show was launched with a dance
“For me, designers are like Directors because they envision the whole creation and there is a story behind it. This is the first time I am walking for Sailesh Singhania. It was new and fresh and I always love people who are revivalist and work with textiles. I am happy to walk for him as I have similar beliefs”, shared Actress Aditi Rao Hydari
“It is inspired by Sarojini Naidu, the Queen’s rivalry, which is a story about a queen who is obsessed about her beauty. It is all about Indian weaves designed in unique silhouettes”, shared Designer Sailesh Singhania.
About the collection – SHAAHANA – The Royal Glory
Shaahana chronicles the regal splendor and beauty of an enchanting Empress. Drawn from Persian legends, our muse, Queen Gulnaar is born in the delicate space of imagination, ‘The Queen’s Rival’, a masterpiece penned by celebrated poetess Sarojini Naidu. The exquisite weaves, the glistening tissues and silken threads that adorned the queen, form the cornerstone of our creations. The woven motifs on each saree are an imagined amalgamation of all her prized possessions and experiences; the mesmerizing blooms from her garden, the beaming rays of the sun and moon that shone through her palace windows, illustrious art by the most adroit artists and creatures as whimsical as her beauty.
Her creator, known by the sobriquet of the ‘Nightingale of India’, lends inspiration to our collection through her artistic work. Her indomitable spirit that fought for India’s freedom drives us to preserve the languishing art of handloom. Shaahana features a combination of age-old techniques like the Jamdani, combining it with Khadi, the fabric of our nation and embellishing it with intricate motifs inspired by modern Japanese art, thereby bringing a plethora of cultures and traditions together and culminating them into one final creation. Comprising opulent whites and enigmatic gold threads, each saree was woven painstakingly over a laborious period of over 8 to 12 months, to match the unparalleled beauty of our muse.
There exists in nature, a certain type of harmony, beyond the confines of human belief and within those of the spirit. The royal Banarasi silk is assiduously woven with motifs inspired by the sun and the moon, the natural forces upon which life sustains and society thrives. The motifs embody nature and its interaction with the human race, like an orchestrated symphony of life in the weave. The colors are a celebration of summer freshness, a coalescence of opulent whites and serene neutral tones intertwined with enigmatic gold threads.
The Kanjeevaram silk sarees, that have remained a constant in every closet since the Chola and Pallava dynasty, are also revisited through this collection, celebrating the identity of the fabric with a modern outlook, tapping into its potential without tampering with its ethnicity. Our efforts lie in creating a sustainable world, wherein our artisans can thrive and are celebrated. This collection is a testament to our efforts and we strive to bring to the fore the sheer talent that our weavers possess.
About Designer Sailesh Singhania
Designer Sailesh Singhania, believes in a holistic, integrated fashion, focusing on not only the garment but also the weavers that help create them. He works with close to 700 handloom weavers throughout the year, providing them with high-quality materials and better conditions to thrive in. He also supports 22 different clusters including the weavers of Pochampally, Gadwal, Uppada, Kota, Pranpur and many more. His work epitomizes simplicity, with obsessive attention to detail, giving his collection a global appeal that remains passionately Indian.
