Shazia Naik in an interview with Suman Prasad spoke in length about her experience, her label ‘Shazzle’, her new collection ‘Reflection’, about her show stopper – Nora Fatehi and other interesting details.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. Could you brief your experience as a professional fashion designer.
I started off as a ready to wear designer using simple fabrics and patterns. In a year from April 2015 till date I have grown in terms of pattern making as well as understanding the fashion markets.
Q. Did you always wanted to be a fashion designer? How did this passion start?
I have always been well dressed from a very young age, so fashion designing came naturally to me. I started working in an international fashion house as well as completing post-graduation in fashion business management and realized that this was indeed my cup of tea.
Q. Please share details your label ‘Shazzle’. What is the concept behind it?
Shazzle offers a wide range of glamorous, elegant and chic clothing for women. It has a design philosophy that is feminine and cutting-edge. The brand offers a wide range of Chic Maxis, Dresses, Gowns, Tunics, Playful tops, Crop tops, Kaftans and Shirts. It is fresh, flowy and wearable. The garments are meticulously crafted with strong emphasis on print, cut and colour. The label gives a flowy, breezy and semi-formal look. It is targeted to make the wearer look and feel younger. The Label is meant for those who dress to impress.
Q. How does it feel to debut at Bangalore Fashion Week?
It feels overwhelming as an emerging designer in the industry, as it is one of the prime fashion weeks in our country.
Q. You are launching your new collection ‘Reflections’ at Bangalore Fashion Week. What is the inspiration behind ‘Reflections’? Please tell us about the print, material, colours and other important details that people can expect from Reflections.
The collection ‘Reflections’ is inspired by the unbounded sky and portrays the similarity and relationship the sky has with us human beings. This chic line is a melange of abstract print and soothing colours. The sky is infinite as our thoughts are. It changes with time, just as emotions change. The sky can be similar to human emotions which can sometimes be clear, clouded, misty, surreal or just plain black.
The use of sheer fabrics such as organza depicts the voluminous nature and transparency of the sky. Satin depicts the lustre in the sky. Calm and soothing shades of blue have been liberally used to display a relaxed atmosphere and changes in the sky. White brings that beautiful calm and serenity as black depicts the mystery and unique elements possessed by an individual’s mind. The clouds are a part of the sky, just as life is not smooth and is filled with peaks and valleys and it brings out the best in us. The sky is not blue but appears to be blue because of scattering of sunlight and at the same time can appear red or black or with a rainbow.
This is how the human mind which is colorless can perceive different things in different ways and at the end of the day it all comes down to what Reflects from within us.
Q. Nora Fatehi will grace the ramp as Shazzle’s first ever show stopper. Why did you choose Nora for this? Your comments.
Nora is extremely gorgeous and is appropriate for my label as well as the collection ‘Reflections’. She is very talented and carries herself to perfection.
Q. Who are your favourite and inspiring designers?
I admire Sabyasachi Mukerjee and draw inspiration from Mary Katrantzou.
Q. Have you ever thought what would be your dream show?
My dream show would have a very natural setting and not the conventional ramp setting, maybe in a lush green surrounding since I am so inspired by nature and love traveling.
Q. Which is that one celebrity you would like to dress?
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Blake Lively.
Q. How would you benchmark Indian fashion industry globally?
India at the moment is not contributing to a substantial part of the international market but it has a great potential to make a mark on the world stage. We are gaining popularity with the international developments as we have a very distinct textile heritage.
Q. Would you like to share some fashion tips for budding and inspiring fashion designers?
A piece of advice would be always follow your dreams, stay positive and love and enjoy what you’re doing.
Q. You can share some details on your future projects?
As of now, I am just focusing on making Shazzle available pan India in different stores, exhibitions or online.
