Vaishali Shadangule, an Indian designer, is set to show her collection at the upcoming Paris Fashion Week. This will make her the second Indian designer to participate in the festival, following Rahul Mishra in 2020, and the first Indian woman.
The designer, 43, has had an incredible journey. The founder of the eponymous brand Vaishali’S, was founded back in 2001. Her story begins way before, in 1997, when she fled Vidisha, a town in Madhya Pradesh. It took her a while to realize she had a talent for design. She was quoted as saying, ‘I started recommending dressing styles to my clients, and found that people loved my ideas on what suited them best. That sealed the deal on my career and I started designing clothes for them.’
She quickly obtained a bank loan and opened a boutique in Malad. There were only two full-time tailors on the job. While her business grew, she enrolled for a designer course in Delhi to sharpen her skills. ‘I left my daughter (barely two years old then) with my husband who has been a huge support and shuttled back and forth between Mumbai and Delhi to ensure my business was stable. But it helped: that education opened up a new world of fashion for me,’ she was quoted as saying.
She made her debut at the Wills India Lifestyle Fashion Week in 2011 and wowed everyone with her distinct aesthetic sensibilities. She actively used Chanderi to make dresses, which had previously been reserved for saris. Her collections are deeply rooted in traditions and her home state of Madhya Pradesh, but she never loses sight of sustainability. She has previously displayed her collection at the New York Fashion Week.
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