My design DNA is rooted in the clash of cultures referencing traditional Indian silhouettes and techniques and combining them with Western clothing archetypes inspired by my immigrant experience and intersectional identities. I explore this through corsetry/suiting techniques and fashions often used in an array of Indian garments.

 

The aspect of Surrealism I relate to most is the feeling of lost subconscious emotion, isolated experiences and how so much can be articulated through symbolism, I wanted to express the mental turmoil that is experienced with negative body image, Salvador Dali’s ‘The Anthropomorphic Cabernet’ inspired my exploration of fat deposits as ‘drawers’ of intersectional identities exaggerated through corsetry. Frida Kahlo expressed her pain in such a raw yet beautiful way which reminds me of the self-harm I inflicted on myself during a dark time in my life, I soothed the empty feelings with binge eating that resulted in weight issues leading me to become disgusted with my body, the uncomfortable feeling of binding my stomach with medical fabric tape every day for school soon became comfortable giving me control over my vanity.

 

The body that I wanted to hide I’m slowly beginning to accept and appreciate, this collection celebrates lumps, bumps and curves that have been forbidden for so long using a juxtaposition of ultimate beauty standards and real bodies. The use of sharp lines in geometric form symbolises dress-making mannequins and societal expectations while the organic flow of draping references the escape from expectation and rebel against societal structure through a surrealist, playful, painful, queer and immigrant lens.