This young designer has a lot to be proud of already. At 19, Saloni Jain, a second year student at International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD), Himayatnagar, is on a mission to revive the Mughal and Nizam eras and bring them back into fashion. Not surprisingly, she made it to the list of top 10 designers from across the country — and the only one from South India — who will be showcasing their collections at the upcoming London Fashion Scout on February 18. Saloni describes herself as a self-taught designer, whose love for sketching and doodling took her towards fashion illustration, and helped her carve her way into the industry with ease.
Saloni worked very hard to impress the judges with her collection. “I sent them my sketches and they were impressed. The name of the collection is ‘SOZ’, which means passion. I’ve used beige, blush pink and shades of grey on fabrics like tweed, taffeta silk, polyelastene, satin, crepe silk, tabby silk and organza. When I started designing, I realised that we do not have many options for fabrics in South India, and so had to travel to places like Chandigarh to buy them. I would then help the tailors understand my ideas. I had to work really hard to match international standards. My collection is now ready and I’m really excited,” she says.
“Being brought up in Hyderabad, I had visited the Falaknuma Palace, Chowmohalla Palace and other historic spots several times. I got inspired by the architecture and decided to use them in my designs. I’ve used zardozi work and dome-shaped designs in my collection, with a western twist to it,” she shares. Saloni looks up to designers Tarun Tahiliani, Shantanu and Nikhil, Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld among others. “My parents are my spine. I wouldn’t be here without them. Financing has been a problem since I’m just starting off, and they have helped me throughout. They are really happy that my debut is directly on the International runway. After the London Fashion Scout, I plan to create my own brand to showcase Indian culture in the International market,” she says.
