Padmaja Krishnan is in town to showcase her installation — trunk sale of the aforementioned collection.
For a fashion collection, Slow. Useless is an incongruous name. Or so you think until you talk to Padmaja Krishnan, a textile and fashion designer and director of Transit Studio, Mumbai. Fashion for this NIFT Delhi graduate is more than just about clothes. Its a philosophy, a way of life, even. Padmaja is in town to showcase her installation — trunk sale of the aforementioned collection.
All about Slow Fashion
Explaining the big idea behind the name, Padmaja reveals, “I am a part of the Slow movement in fashion. The Slow Fashion philosophy preaches about creating clothes keeping the ecological and sustainability factor in mind. It is about using techniques, processes and fabrics that take a longer time in their making but ensure that the clo
thes last long.” A far cry from the glamorous, seasonal nature of popular fashion that urges and tempts the customer to blindly buy, the Slow movement, according to Padmaja, “is against consumerism.” So, instead of urging you to buy two and get one free, a Slow movement practitioner would advice you to “buy just two clothes that will last for a long time,” she adds, making the concept that much more clear.
Now, while the Slow movement might be gaining ground in the West, Padmaja agrees that it has barely made its presence felt in India. She throws in an intriguing point of view, however: “In India, life’s always been about slowness.Our parents and grandparents would recycle whatever they had. That’s exactly what the movement is about.” So, even as the young Indian might be aping the West in buying and throwing anything that's outdated, Padmaja affirms that, “ In a traditional sense, we have always been practitioners of the slow movement.”
Not a trend-follower
As someone who doesn’t follow the milieu, it is obvious that Padmaja doesn’t follow trends or design according to seasons. “We don’t believe in designing according to seasons because then you are encouraging the buyer to discard the old for the new (something that is not congruent with the Slow Fashion philosophy, that of buying fewer clothes less often). “I don’t go by current international trends. We follow what suits a particular body type,” she avers. As a designer, Padmaja believes her expertise lies in cuts. Very geometric and abstract, she specialises in, and loves to “experiment with cuts.”
Unique just about begins to describe her predominantly Western silhouetted designs. So, where one finds every other person a homogenised clone of another thanks to the mall culture, her exclusive designs might be just what the fashion doctor ord
ered. “Limited editions coupled by the techniques we use and fabrics we compose ensure that we can’t repeat a design again,” she excitedly claims and adds, “So, even if you want me to make two shirts from the same fabric, I can only make an approximately similar one, not an identical one. It won’t ever be homogeneous, “ she states. Not surprisingly Padmaja, while not ready to reveal names, counts films stars, theatre artistes and musicians amongst her clientele. “I design for people who have a subtle sense of style; educated and evolved, my clients are people who understand clothing in a holistic way and look at the socio-cultural context of clothes.”
Make people aware
A designer since 2008, Padmaja has showcased her work in exhibitions in India and abroad. Japan, America, Spain, Hong Kong, Australia are the countries where she’s exhibited her experiments with fabrics and designs. While the London Fashion Week is the only show she’s taken part in, Padmaja matter-of-factly states, “I would love to take part in an Indian fashion week that adheres to the principles of eco-friendly, sustainable fashion.” This
is her second time in Bangalore. “I’d exhibited my collection in Raintree once before,” but in addition to notching sales, Padmaja’s bigger wish is to, “take the Slow movement ahead. I want people here to appreciate and become aware of the Slow movement.”
Check out Padmaja Krishnan’s installation cum trunk sale of exquisitely hand crafted, thought provoking, contemporary clothes for men and women, at The Vermillion House, Frazer Town, 10.30am to 7.30pm, on February 24 and 25.
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thes last long.” A far cry from the glamorous, seasonal nature of popular fashion that urges and tempts the customer to blindly buy, the Slow movement, according to Padmaja, “is against consumerism.” So, instead of urging you to buy two and get one free, a Slow movement practitioner would advice you to “buy just two clothes that will last for a long time,” she adds, making the concept that much more clear.)
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ered. “Limited editions coupled by the techniques we use and fabrics we compose ensure that we can’t repeat a design again,” she excitedly claims and adds, “So, even if you want me to make two shirts from the same fabric, I can only make an approximately similar one, not an identical one. It won’t ever be homogeneous, “ she states. Not surprisingly Padmaja, while not ready to reveal names, counts films stars, theatre artistes and musicians amongst her clientele. “I design for people who have a subtle sense of style; educated and evolved, my clients are people who understand clothing in a holistic way and look at the socio-cultural context of clothes.”)
is her second time in Bangalore. “I’d exhibited my collection in Raintree once before,” but in addition to notching sales, Padmaja’s bigger wish is to, “take the Slow movement ahead. I want people here to appreciate and become aware of the Slow movement.”
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