Fashion export

“I was really intrigued with the idea of creating one’s own fabric and taking ownership of the whole process. The concept of being able to choose the exact stitch,colour,layout and other such details is what excites me and why I chose to come up with my own line of fashion,” says-21-year old Malhotra. Her brand features womenswear in a variety of fabrics,cuts and styles. From the slick corporate ensembles to oomph-loaded clubwear,Malhotra hopes to have a piece in her line for every mood of the modern global woman. Her label is still in the production stage and will be launched across UK shortly.

Looking back,the young designer says that it was a bold yet necessary step to move away from India to explore the worldwide fashion industry and hence after completing an A level course in fashion designing from Pune,she took admission into Nottingham Trent University. Here,she learnt more about knitwear and its stand in the industry. “My study at NTU helped me build my fashion handwriting and I realised this only after my first placement. I applied for an internship to Alexander McQueen and I got through. I was exposed to the working procedure of the industry. The handwriting of the brand really interested me,” says Malhotra,adding that one cannot grow professionally unless they experience communicating with different kinds of people,meeting important inexcusable deadlines,making decisions,and the obvious—designing two to three seasons at a time. “I spent six months being a part of an absolutely exciting stressful environment,” she says.

Her next internship placement was at the fashion capital of US – New York City. She was accepted by DKNY and had to work on similar terms at the firm. She particularly liked participating at the fashion weeks and men’s presentations. “I am amazed at the incredible amount of work and attention to detailing goes into putting up a show which lasts even for less than half an hour at a fashion week. I took back different skills from both the companies I interned with. Some including drawing CADS,designing,time management,and most importantly,networking,” she says.

Even though Malhotra is in her final year at the university,she does not find it the least bit difficult to juggle her studies,examinations and her work for her collection. She sees it as an adventure to manage her time between them. “Through the years I have learnt more about handling this kind of pressure,improving myself as a designer and attending to my difficulties apart from all the technical knowledge about fashion,trends and styles,” says Malhotra,adding that she is keen to visit her family in Pune soon.