Exclusive! Bollywood influence on people’s fashion is huge, says designer Shehla Khan

Shehla Khan is one of the well-known fashion designers in the Indian scene. Her label ‘Shehlaa’ is a blend of contemporary and traditional ensembles with beautiful cuts, soft supple fabrics, delicate embroideries and feminine aesthetics. She has dressed up Bollywood fashionistas like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and many more.

Shehla recently showcased her collection at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2019, after three years. Her collection named ‘Diana’ was an ode to Princess Diana. The collection had the affinity to pastels and pearls, bow blouses and regal gowns. The big shoulder pads, bold embroidery accents and luxe fabrics represented opulence of the decade but carried femininity which is very ‘Shehlaa’. Bollywood celebrities Bhumi Pednekar, Isabelle Kaif and Karan Johar walked for her. She exclusively spoke to Cine Blitz about the current trends and some of her fashion preferences.

How does it feel, showcasing your collection after three years at the LFW?

I felt excited, but was a bit nervous too. I was very happy to show my work after three years and also very excited about this collection.

What are the trends for the Summer/Resort range like?

In general, in 2019, there is a strong influence of the late 80s and early 90s. Everything is much bolder than normal for men and women. In terms of colours, there are a lot of bright pop colours; a lot fuchsia pink for women and men too. In terms of embellishments and embroideries, people have gone much bolder, shinier and disco mode. There is a lot of focus on accessories, and they are inspired by the late 80s too.

What are your go-to fabrics to work on?

I use a lot of sheer, translucent fabrics like net and organza. I’ve used them in this collection as well, but in different ways. I like working with lace.

Which is your current trend obsession?

That would be lace and ruffles.

Along the years, the fashion industry has merged with Bollywood to a large degree. Do you think that works in favour of the designers?

Yeah, merged means now there is a strong influence of fashion in Bollywood and vice versa, because people in general in India have become more fashion conscious. They take interest in dressing up. Many high-street brands and luxury brands have become so much more available in India, because of awareness of fashion that everyone has now, in all walks of life. I think Bollywood has a strong influence on it because of films and celebrities. People like to emulate celebrities and their styles because for them, it’s a good way to see things. So both, Bollywood and fashion, complement each other.

Who do you look up to when it comes to fashion in the Indian scene?

I love Anamika Khanna, and what she does. I haven’t met anyone personally as creative as her. She is very original at what she does, and everything she does just comes out beautiful, no matter what it might be. Also, I love Sonam K Ahuja for her style sense. She has a strong influence on fashion in Bollywood and in India today. I’ve always known her and she has taken a keen interest in fashion and dressing up. She likes to experiment with different looks.

Who’s your muse from B-town?

Everyone is my muse, I don’t like to keep one muse. I, of course, started with Sonam as my muse because she is a friend, and because I feel like she knows me so well that she understands my style and clothes. And I always feel if somebody has an understanding of what they’re wearing, they are just able to look better in it than anyone else. So she is definitely one of my best muses. But at the same time, I love dressing all the actresses and make anyone look beautiful. Another person in fashion I really look up to is Anushka Sharma. Even though her style is very different from mine, she doesn’t mind trying out different looks. She has a very strong innate sense of style which is a little bit laid-back, but it is also because of her body type, and her attitude is very strong. She carries off a lot of looks very well. I’ve loved Karisma Kapoor ever since I was a kid and she was acting, she has maintained a very dignified chic and classic look in her personal style.

Which Hollywood celebrity would you like to design for?

I wish I could have designed something for Princess Diana, but unfortunately, I can’t. But I would love to design for Jennifer Lawrence, Diane Kruger and Emily Blunt. And Meryl Streep of course!

Almost every industry is male dominated. What’s your take on the same in the fashion industry?

I feel through the entire boom in the women’s fashion, even men have taken a very large affinity and affection to fashion, and the way they dress and being conscious about who they wear and what they wear. People like Karan Johar set a benchmark for men’s fashion. So I think it works both ways in the fashion industry.

Do you think women empowerment and fashion are correlated?

No. But I do think that fashion can be a very strong force of women empowerment. Today’s fashion is a very strong example of women’s empowerment because it allows them to express themselves irrespective of their body-type or anything. Like a woman can wear a suit and not be frowned upon, or she can wear a bikini and take pictures of herself, and most people don’t have a problem with it. Fashion in general, is a way of empowering yourself.

Do you think western wear really works for India women?

Yeah, for sure. As long as it suits your body-type and body shape, and you’re comfortable in what you wear.

Some of the ramp-wear is generally not wearable in reality. So what is the use of designing them?

I don’t think that is true. Today, fashion is a huge industry. So not only in India, but all over the world, people have a large and strong affinity to fashion. They are people who would love to wear such stuff off the runway. I think everyone today is inclined towards making their style statement. So I don’t think that runway fashion is not wearable. Because when we design these garments, we imagine normal people in them. It really depends on the personal style and how dramatic or simple you would like to be.

Why are pret-clothes not ramp-worthy?

There’s nothing like that. In fact today, even though there is a lot of drama in terms of everything, street-style has also become huge, and that started before 2018 with brands like Gucci and Off-White who have created this booming industry of street-style garments. They have created casual but the coolest clothes for a large amount of money, but people buy them and it’s a large industry. So many luxury brands are going street-style.  

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