Weddings have the brightest smiles, and the occasion calls for the happiest vibes. Whether it's the vibrancy or the comfort of the bride and groom, everything is expected to be impeccable. Weddings in present times have become a lot more intimate and exuberant at the same time. People want to remember the day they took vows as the best-dressed day as well.
Everyone wants a wedding that looks like a wedding page from Instagram, which also at times turns out to be a key to the clients imagination and our source of inspiration. The idea of weddings is different for different people. It can be an intimate ceremony of 20 people or a bundle-dropping array of functions for 8 days, hosting 500 guests for a few clients. But in every scenario, it boils down to that one most significant and life-changing moment, The wedding day.
As the clock hits 8 am, work begins in the wedding season. With every sip of my coffee, the tasks get listed out. Meetings with my fantasy league team( my designers), fabric vendors, clients, artisans, and endless phone calls, you will not believe, but sometimes we forget to blink. But the fun part is all this chaos has its own beauty. With all the time I spent at the National Institute of Design learning about the craft and culture across the country, I wish to pour all my learning into curating something that inspires. And after a few years working under labour law, now as the lead, I pour the knowledge and experience into our designs until I feel drained.
On a serious note, I see that as a designer we are supposed to design the finest-looking pieces and exclusive ones for the day to make it special. But it mostly depends on a lot of factors. Starting from which part of India is the bride? In the past few years north of India has seen rising demands and preference towards lehenga and Indo-western wear. Although Saree on a wedding day is still very much preferred by other states in the south and west.
Speaking of the South, Kanjivaram has been an inseparable part of trousseau in most of the southern states of India. Tissue Kanjivarams are preferred by brides, while women in general also prefer to don Kanjivarams at weddings and other auspicious occasions. The colours that are significantly preferred are traditional and typical. shades of Red, Purple, and Green in contrast gold borders are faster-moving curates in stores. Kanjivaram is a craft that is preferred to be traditional at its core, and the contemporary versions are also not very deviated from the typical ones. They have been statements for ages and people prefer them to be the same. Kanchi lehengas are also popular but not as much as the first choice as saree.
Banarasis on the other hand preferred a little experimental. In the past few years, the design of Banarasis has been experimented with and accepted very fondly by markets. Designers also make lehengas and sherwanis from Banarasi fabrics. The fabrics from Banaras are used as the base for embellishing and adding more to the value. Banarasi sarees have always been a popular choice in terms of occasional wear. The usual bel(vail), butta(motif), and jaal(all over) are evergreen, but the trendy and contemporary designs are equally in demand. Banarasi sarees are widely accepted in traditional red, green, purple, and pink and also in very experimental English tones.
Kanjivarams, Banarasis, or for that matter any special drape worn on such special occasions are also treated as heirlooms. The silk quality of the zari and the artistry keeps diluting with time. The traditional craft pieces cherish and arrest the changes that the future holds. These also reference pieces for the future. The pieces not just hold traditional and emotional values, but also become a window for future generations to appreciate the craftsmanship that stood the test of time. They cannot just admire and sense it but treasure and drape a part of history from their loved ones and can pass it to the generations to come.
Designers and brands experiment with the layouts and colours that were never tried in typical sarees woven earlier. The styling of sarees and preferred colours at the wedding keep changing, but the classics always stay. So when the store orders sarees from weavers, during wedding season, or for any non-specific season the demand for the classics is always more.
For me as a designer, I always felt vibrancy in every festive season coming by. The colours in festivals and weddings always enlighten me to curate something that homage to the core and spirit of our culture. When I look back at my journey in singhanias, a lot of emotions run through me. The number of people I met and the designers I taught and learned from them. As I said earlier, in this chaos, I found my peace in the rush I found my oneness. Hyderabad has become my home now, and Singhanias my family.