Payal Singhal Reimagines Festive Wear in Latest Collab With Indya

Drop crotch pants and jumpsuits aren’t the first thing that come to your mind when you think of Indian ethnic wear. But these along with pre-stitched sari skirts, crop tops, shararas, tunics in asymmetrical hemlines and palazzos form the basic blocks of Payal Singhal X Indya’s new summer festive capsule collection. Designed, keeping in mind the new-age bride and her cohort of friends, Payal has perfectly married her modern Indian sensibilities with a bohemian edge. The ethno-fusion line comprising 64 separates have been adorned with signature gypsy and tribal embellishments that Payal is known for. The refreshing sorbet colour palette includes blush pink, mint, powder blue, and grey with pops of lemon yellow and navy--just perfect for summer weddings.

Talking about the collaboration with Payal and a collection that’s a deviation from the regular festive wear, Tanvi Malik Co-founder, Indya, says, “Indya’s design philosophy has always been centered around the multi-tasking millennial woman who wants her occasion wear wardrobe to not only be glamorous but also affordable, functional, and fuss-free in styling. We have always endeavoured to break the cultural code and make clothes that are extremely utilitarian and flatter women in all their shapes and sizes. Payal’s collections reflect just the same values. Her designs present a renewed take on Indian wear and she has pioneered easy Indian glam across sizes and body types in her design language. There is great synergy between the two brands for all that our clothes stand for.”

And Payal on being questioned, why she chose to join forces with Indya, replies, “Our endeavour has always been to be an all-encompassing label that offers something for everyone at every price point. We wanted to do a collection that makes the Payal Singhal signature more approachable and attainable, and for that, Indya made for the perfect brand to work with.”

At a time, when the Covid-19 pandemic still looms large, casting a shadow over Indian fashion industry, Tanvi feels it’s essential to engage millennials by making indigenous designerwear affordable and more relatable to them.  Indya comes out each year with a capsule collection in collaboration with a popular designer. She says, “We’ve always wanted to create a high street that hasn’t previously existed for Indian designer wear. We want to democratize fashion and introduce our audience to products and designers that may not be accessible to them otherwise. While each designer we collaborate with has a unique design language and strong signature, they all have a modern and fusion sensibility that we can incorporate into our own design DNA. The idea of new designer capsules every year is to offer our millennial and Get Z audience, collections that are fresh, current, and in line with the season”. 

Payal agrees that now more than ever it’s necessary to promote indigenous designers, artisans and craftspersons. “It’s very important to go to the grassroot level and to find artists, designers, craftsmen and to either collaborate with them or give them designs and work with them to keep the design ecosystem going as only with their skill can we take the Indian craft forward and to the future generations,” says Payal. 

Tanvi feels that the key to encouraging millennials to shop local is to simply listen to their changing needs. “Millennials have a strong worldview, understand priorities, and are independent in their decision-making. As indigenous brands we have the advantage of understanding Indian body types better, and having at-hand access to our rich art and techniques. Adapting to global and current trends and designing collections that keep up with the changing lifestyle of this generation is what will help Indian brands stay relevant to them and make them look inward towards homegrown brands,” she adds. 

Coming back to this collection, Payal says she put in her knowledge of catering to young clients since 1999 in creating the silhouettes and choosing the fabrics. “The key lies in making clothes easy to wear which means not complicating the ethnic silhouettes making them comfortable and lightweight,” she adds. The collection has skirts with attached, sari-like drapes and tiered skirts instead of conventional lehengas, all easy to slip into and style. 

However, if you are still unsure about styling separates, Payal has an effective tip, listen up. “The main way to style separates is to make sure that you start with one key piece and work with things that go with that standout piece in your wardrobe and if your outfit is the main focus then keep your jewellery minimal and vice versa.”