EXCLUSIVE: Designer Anavila Misra talks about impact of Coronavirus on the fashion industry, Diet Sabya & more

Designer, Anavila Misra has been a favourite when it comes to celebrities like Sonam Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut. Known for her quintessential sarees, the designer promotes mindful fashion through her designs and clothing that she offers. As summer approaches, Misra is coming out with a new collection of handwoven sarees under her namesake label. When asked, the designer what summer means to her, she replied ‘It’s a feeling’. The same feeling is encapsulated in her recent collection. So, while she gears up for the same, we sat down for a hearty conversation and here’s what went down:

1. What is your definition of “mindful” fashion?

As a designer, I believe that mindful consumption comes from mindful creation. You can tell when a product goes through a slow cycle of thoughtful creation and is made with love and care. To continuously align our business partners, artisans, stores, weavers and consumers on our principles and educate them about our products and processes forms a part of the whole process.  We work only with natural yarns and are slowly moving toward using natural dyes in our garments. Besides this, we purposefully use the waste that comes out of the creations, these textiles are made with a lot of effort and we wouldn’t want to let them go to waste. We are also working on creating classics which are timeless and could be worn beyond seasons and trends.

2. What do you think is the vibe for the summer?

Summer is a feeling for me. This year’s summer fashion is about beautiful hues taken from summer florals and juicy fruits. Sequins add a hint of sheen to our collection and are used extensively in both our saris and blouses. Summer is associated with tangy drinks, juicy pomegranates, and a slice of aam. For this, we have incorporated breezy leheriya fabrics, floral and seasonal fruity prints. 

3. What are your thoughts on Diet Sabya’s impact on plagiarism in the creative fashion world?

A blatant copy being called out helps everyone. We all know the amount of work and research that goes behind every collection and piece, to be able to copy someone's work and get away with it is not right.

4. How according to you can someone do their bit for the world when it comes to mindful fashion?

In today's world of increased transparency, we should all invest in brands where we know the background story. Along with awareness, consumers must also embrace minimalism. Excess products shouldn’t be bought, and one garment should be repeated. As they say, you should not invest in something if you are not going to wear it at least 30 times.

5. According to you, what is the right way to rock print on print?

Prints can be incorporated in daily wear. A great way to rock print on print is to pair big and small prints together. A neat display of this would be a printed saree with an oversized jacket with big prints to give it a modern twist. In our Summer 2020 collection, we have paired a leheriya printed sari in bright colours with floral motifs and it looks stunning.  

6. Which is that one quintessential piece of clothing every woman should have in her wardrobe? 

A piece that can be worn anytime and anywhere. I think saree is that piece. For me, it will be a beige sari which I can wear for both, evenings and day wear. A classic black sari is a must-have too.

7. How have modern silhouettes and millennial trends influences the Indian fashion scenario, today?

There’s a lot to say about it. But in the recent past, Indian traditional has been swapped with Indian fusion ethnic to cater to the young audience. It’s embracing our culture with changing times by not being stuck in the past. There are so many ways to wear our saris and we can wear them with western tops for comfort ease and style.

8. If given a task to style and drape a saree, how would you do it? A plus-sized woman and a thin lady?

Most of us have seen our mothers and grandmothers dressing up in sarees and that’s why it holds a special place in our hearts. I don't think there are do's or don'ts when it comes to a sari for a plus or zero sizes. What I would definitely need to understand is the women's personality itself and then work the drape.

9. Now, with the MET Gala getting postponed and the world coming to a standstill. What are your thoughts about the pandemic affecting the fashion industry?

Its quite unfortunate whats happening, though I would like to take one day at a time and wish we would collectively come out of this.