He was drawn towards reviving the textiles when he started working with his family that has been in the business for four generations. Sailesh Singhania’s great-grandfather was the textile minister to His Excellency The 7th Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan.
“I worked closely with weavers from Pochampally, Uppada, Srikakulam, Gadwal and Banaras. My interaction with them has helped me understand textiles,” says Sailesh.
Using this knowledge and skill, he started his own label — Sailesh Singhania, that works towards revival of dying textiles and redefining them to create a market for it. The vision is to promote handwoven saris and apparel with a unique sense of aesthetics for discerning customers. “The primary inspiration was handlooms and the urge to promote the lovely heritage. The reason they are being left behind is that many find them mundane. We take up current trends and combine them with bespoke designs and then add a personal touch to the designs by letting our weavers do their magic,” explains Sailesh.
Sailesh Singhania
Style stamp
Over the years, Sailesh has developed a unique signature style. His works stand apart due to their clean lines and careful detailing. “Our work epitomises simplicity, yet on looking closer, it reveals our obsessive attention to detail,” says Sailesh.
The LFW debut
At the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2017, Sailesh is presenting his collection called Actuality of Consonance: Khadi. “Each khadi sari is created with handspun thread and is woven with real gold zari and takes inspiration from nature — the cows of Krishna from the Pichhvai paintings, the squirrels from the forest, cranes standing in a river and the eternal tree of life,” says Sailesh. Actress Regina Cassandra, who is making her Bollywood entry with Ankhein 2, will be walking the ramp as the showstopper.
The design process
The designer works with various traditional hand artisans and craftsmen to retain the original essence of the craft. “Starting with the inspiration, to our detailed research, we incorporate our efforts into the absolute perfect outcome. Once the designs are finalised, they are sent to the weavers,” he adds.
