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Kiara Advani to Alia : Celebs who SWORE by outfits from Designer of the Week: Papa Don't Preach by Shubhika
Launched only in 2010, the brand has come a long way since then. We caught up with the founder Shubhika Davda who gave us lots of inside scoop.
Starting from scratch, especially in a field where you have no backing, is never an easy task. But one person who has managed to push past, make her brand and her name, style celebrities both locally and internationally, is Shubhika Davda. The designer founded her brand, Papa Don't Preach by Shubhika back in 2010 and has since been through her fair share of ups and downs. A decade later, the designer is one of the top-rated in the country!
With a fashion diploma from the London College of Fashion, Shubhika tells us that her journey wasn't the easiest. It's taken her quite a while to get where she is today. "For the first 4 years, we went from payment to payment, salary to salary, because our job wasn't just manufacturing but also labour centric, renting a brick and mortar space. I remember I messaged my dad when I was 4 years into the business when it was still in red, and said if I don't see green in the next 6 months I'll shut things down. A friend told me to be patient and the passion I felt for my work finally showed," she recalls. Today, the designer who has dressed everybody from Kiara Advani to Patralekhaa to even Mindy Kaling makes it a point to tell entrepreneurs that the first 5 years will be the hardest, "There's no way that fruits won't show if you put in the hard work," she adds.
The designer is also part of the much-awaited show, Say Yes to the Dress which has finally made its way to India. "Growing up shows like say yes to the dress were a big part of my fashion education," she talks about how honoured she was to be part of it. Additionally, Shubhika tells us she enjoyed the process since, "It showcased Indian fashion for what it is, not just the fun but also the workmanship, karigari and more. Indian fashion was given such a beautiful international platform which was the most exciting."
Designer collaborations are the next big thing. Is there someone she'd love to collaborate with, we're curious to know. "Galliano," she says without hesitation about the British fashion designer and creative director of Maison Margiela. Explaining why, she adds, "The theatrics of it and drama and how deep his storytelling is, just for the creative high."
If not for a designer, Davda tells us that she'd still be a part of the creative field. "I would love to be connected to dance and performing arts in some way. Or even a writer!"
The designer also went on to share her favourite celebrity looks in her creations. While Chrissy Teigen was an obvious choice, Shubhika says that Mindy Kaling was, "One of the nicest people I had the opportunity to dress."
Kiara Advani and the designer go a long way back making her part of her top three. "We started off together, she was entering films and I got to style her for one of her first films, she encouraged me a lot and I like to believe I did the same for her," Shubhika signs off.
