A debut after 40 years

At LFW,Jaikishan is using specially woven zari for her line. “Floral motifs are a part of my signature style but this time,I have broken my collection into two segments. The first has a theme called ‘Clouds with a gold lining’,with a colour palette of pale gold paired with cream and a greenish tinge. But more importantly,it is light-weight and has no flower embroidery at all. I am looking forward to seeing how it will be received,” Jaikishan says.

Her journey in Indian fashion has been rather interesting — as she started without any formal education. “I remember making my own clothes as a teenager; I’d always be curious about different embroideries and fabrics. Even my friends would ask me for advice regarding their clothes,so I started out at an informal level and learnt everything on the job,” Jaikishan says.

After she got married to music director Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal,designing for others took a backseat. But after his death in 1971,it was her fashion career that kept her going. A year later,she started out with a collection of saris at her store,Paraphernalia,on Peddar Road — at a location which is a few blocks away from her current store by the same name. “It was such a hit that just a day after the store was inaugurated,we were all sold out,” says Jaikishan,whose filmi connection fetched her more clients from tinseltown — Sharmila Tagore,Hema Malini and Mumtaz,for whom she even designed a wedding outfit. She also turned to designing luxury bed linen,upholstery and bath linen.

Another big moment was when her collection was retailed at Saks Fifth Avenue,Bergdorf’s and Neiman Marcus in the ’80s. “To have sold at such prestigious stores was a big high. After I had launched a prêt line of khadi kurtas,shirts and salwar-kameez in the mid-80s,I was approached by an Italian entrepreneur to do a similar line for her company. But I couldn’t source quality khadi in time and I had to let go of the project,” she reminisces.

Over the years,Jaikishan has become the go-to name for couture as well as bridal wear. She is known for her heavy embellishments (read pearl embroidery,Chinese embroidery combined with chikankari,gota work and zardozi embroidery on brocade) and the use of pure fabrics — be it tulle,georgette,velvet,chiffon or silk. The couturier has also successfully married Indian bridal wear to European elements such as French lace,lamé,guipure and velvet ribbons.

After LFW,she is eyeing another show at the bridal fashion week,scheduled for Mumbai next month,apart from starting work on her autobiography. Jaikishan feels today’s designers have it much easier,given the media attention. When she started out,things were very different. “It is this journey that I want to capture in my book,” she says.