'Fashion in India will become more realistic'

'The idea for the collection came to me when I was quarantined in my house alone for three months.'

Anita Aikara/Rediff.com speaks with LFW 2020 GenNext designer Aarushi Kilawat about putting together a collection during the pandemic.

A fashion graduate from Pear Academy, Aarushi, 25, created a collection inspired by the uncertainty that surrounds us amid the pandemic.

"I come from a very small town in Rajasthan," says Aarushi who from a young age had an inclination towards art and design.

"No one in my family has a design background. The place where I come from, dreaming big was not really appreciated back then. But my family was always very supportive."

Aarushi's first big break came soon after design school, when she got a chance to be an assistant costume stylist for stage maestro Feroze Abbas Khan's Mughal-e-Azam.

"To be a part of the backstage and costume team was an overwhelming experience," Aarushi recalls.

Her Lakmé Fashion Week 2020 collection has been modelled on the present scenario.

Through her collection, Aarushi hopes to find a balance between the uncertain times and the patterned lifestyle one lives.

"I hope to depict a creative angle and bring in new perspective," she says.

Putting together the collection was no easy feat. "The idea for my collection came to me when I was quarantined in my house alone for three months.

"Post the lockdown, once I started putting the collection together, I had to get my whole team back to the city, and that posed to be a challenge," says Aarushi.

She had to assure her team that once they start working together again, things would better.

"But once we started work on the collection, it took a while to get in touch with the weavers, get the fabrics sourced, woven and dyed.

"The process got a little slower and work got delayed. All throughout, we had to keep everyone's safety in mind and also try and stick to the deadlines."

Titled Between the Lines, Aarushi's collection has been created using 100 per cent handwoven fabrics

"Sustainable fashion is not about choosing the right garments to wear. There is a bigger picture to it.

"Now that we have been living through the pandemic, and people have understood how to survive with the bare necessities," she says, "I feel sustainable fashion is here to stay as a lifestyle."

WATCH: Designer Aarushi Khilwat speaks to Rediff.com about clothes, design and fashion.

Video Production: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com