Pinanki Shah
A designer who creates drapes inspired by the visions of her dreams
How do you come up with the ideas for the drapes? What is your process, and what drives you to pin the folds down?
It might sound bizarre, but I dream about it. I look at a lot of stuff throughout the day, consume a lot of visual content, read about politics and history, think about the past, and all that weaves into each other. My thoughts and dreams materialise into drapes. So, my process becomes very intuitive. I don’t make a sketch or refer to one picture; I wrap the fabric around the body as I go, and something will come from it. That is also why the essential pieces of my collections are one-offs; it is not possible to replicate the exact spontaneous drape multiple times. I drape around one piece of fabric as many times as possible for it to look effortless in the end. Sometimes, I work on a fabric for four days, but nothing happens, and sometimes, it takes me 1 hour to drape something exquisite.
You say that peace means liberation for you. Do you believe that the collections you present reflect that?
Yes, I want to keep the process as transparent and honest as possible, from sourcing the fabrics to draping and finishing. I don’t just want to make stuff that instantly goes viral without substance. This also means it will take much longer to find stability and recognition as a business, but at least I will keep the essence and won’t lose myself, which is liberating.
How do you come up with the ideas for the drapes? What is your process, and what drives you to pin the folds down?
It might sound bizarre, but I dream about it. I look at a lot of stuff throughout the day, consume a lot of visual content, read about politics and history, think about the past, and all that weaves into each other. My thoughts and dreams materialise into drapes. So, my process becomes very intuitive. I don’t make a sketch or refer to one picture; I wrap the fabric around the body as I go, and something will come from it. That is also why the essential pieces of my collections are one-offs; it is not possible to replicate the exact spontaneous drape multiple times. I drape around one piece of fabric as many times as possible for it to look effortless in the end. Sometimes, I work on a fabric for four days, but nothing happens, and sometimes, it takes me 1 hour to drape something exquisite.
What is fashion for you?
Fashion is frivolous to me. I resonate with less than 90% of what happens in fashion. But that 10% holds me down and makes me want to continue daily.
What inspires your bag collection?Â
I use scarves and blankets to drape the bags. I look at generic, mundane objects around us that we use purely out of necessity and turn them into textures. I replicated a plastic grocery bag into satin with a high sheen. I also used Solapuri Chaddar to make a pillow-sized bag. The chaddar was one of the most mundane objects in our households. I want to use South Asian textiles that go unnoticed because they are not glamorous and highly decorative. I make braided trims out of fabric offcuts that I collect. The braids are becoming my special trims. I am inspired by the leather crafts I saw in Jodhpur and Pondicherry, where they make a bag or shoes from scratch just for you. It’s inexpensive and the best quality and no one else in the world will have that same bag. That’s luxurious. For most young brands, it is easier to become trending by selling that one it-bag every season that people queue up for. But I would love to continue my one-off strategy for clothes. I want only you to have this dress and this bag.
What inspires your fashion designs?
I am heavily inspired by South Asian archives from the pre-colonial era, just the life of a regular woman, from their clothes to the food they ate. They took a rectangular piece of fabric and draped it in a thousand different ways. Every woman had an individual drape suited to their physical activities and climate across the subcontinent. That is so much information right there! Fisherwomen draped the sari differently compared to the farmer women, etc. Later on, tailored garments came in. The whole history and politics of a South Asian woman’s body is so fascinating and depressing. I grew up in Mumbai’s cosmopolitan, maximalist city, which was a sensory overload. I was also exposed to Western and Japanese media as a child; there’s just been a lot of information to consume, even in my pre-social media years. I am constantly finding a balance between these multi-dimensional identities. Creating something in the middle of this chaos is soothing.
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Do you believe in taking risks when creating a collection?
Yes, my whole idea is risky and uncertain. Fashion consumers are so used to forming a cult-like group. I sometimes get inquiries where they admire the top I made, but they are still determining if it will look extra or out of place if they wear it to a party. I am like, ‘If you are someone who can afford a £2000 dress in this economy, you had better look out of place at that party.’ And it confuses some people. So, at least for now, I have taken a considerable risk with my collection; I don’t know how it will be in the future. It’s like gambling.
Are you a dreamer?
My favourite pastime. I can sit in one place with my coffee and stare out the window doing nothing useful, just dreaming. It’s a good mood booster.
