Salabianca finds her inspiration in India
Salabianca’s collection is deeply inspired by India given the country’s rich heritage, traditions customs and diverse cuisines. Salabianca is also the co-founder of Tino Soon. Bright colorful costumes, quality and variety of Indian textiles and different dressing styles is what stirred Salabianca’s latest collection.
Soon and partner, Allan Chan, have incorporated India’s rich cultural heritage in their collection, Incredible India. Indian beauties have been crowned a number of times at international beauty pageants. India is also the land of Bollywood, a film industry that churns out maximum number of films. Bollywood is perhaps the bet medium to portray India’s rich cultural heritage. Mirrored work, colorful saris intricately embellished or embroidered salwar kameez or lehengas are attires that are unique to India.
Knee-length shirt-style tunics with lungis or dhotis remain the tradition menswear. In the northern region however Pathani suits are commonly worn among men. Varied styles and textiles add immense diversity to Indian fashion and hence India is considered the perfect spot for fabric shopping. Elaborating on the rich traditional heritage, Soon commented “India is an amazing country. Everything - from the monuments with their intricate pillars and Moghul-influenced architecture to the variety of food - is simply magnificent. You have to visit India to fall in love with it”.
Chandi Chowk in Delhi happens to be one of the most frequented and busy markets of the city. A fashion shoot was for model Amber Chia was arranged with this location as the backdrop. The model was transformed into a Bollywood beauty, under the expertise of MAC’s makeup artist Reyo Lim. People flocked as the model arrived at the busy market for her shoot, posing in different outfits. Quite amazed at the response she remarked “It is like a scene from a Bollywood movie. I seem to have more fans in India than Malaysia!”
The rich outfits portray India’s cultural heritage perfectly. Salabianca’s trademark hand-sewn embellishments and delicate embroidery impart the creations an exquisite appeal. The most fascinating outfits are elaborately embellished and feature Indian motifs like paisley prints and sequined flowers. Any creations also feature rich Indian cultural heritage in terms of Indian architecture etc. Minaret and dome motifs bring to mind Moghul architecture (think: Agra’s Taj Mahal, Red Fort and Baby Taj) while semi-precious stones - crystals, jadeite, amethyst, turquoise and smoky crystal - salute India’s continuous legacy of jewellery making.
A few Asian outfits also feature Asian cultured freshwater pearls and trimmings adding the traditional touch. Intricate detailing further enhances the appeal of the outfits. A bodice of a turquoise velvet silk empire-waisted cocktail dress is embedded with beads and semi-precious stones imparting a regal feel to the attire. Popular beaded dresses especially the collection’s one-shoulder asymmetrical chiffon beaded number, comes with a maroon sari drape with embellishments. Another eye catching outfit includes fully-beaded knee-length chiffon dress with embellishments featuring paisley prints with thighs.
Embellished shorts and skirts also make attractive outfits. The silver linen slim shorts worn with red velvet silk cropped jacket embellished with beadwork makes it a simple yet stylish attire.
According to Chan “A fully beaded dress can take 10 to 14 days depending on the skill of the artisan. We use beads of different colours and sizes, that’s why it is time consuming. The work on one dress must be done by the same artisan. Each embellisher has her own beading “rhythm” and if two people work on a dress, you can see the difference”.
Inspired by the Indian dressing styles, Soon has cleverly incorporated the features into his collection. For example, he “modernised” the salwar kameez by shortening the pants and tunics to give them a trendier feel. He also designed tight fitting tops based on the lehangas top or choli.
Elaborating further on his collection he says “We worked around different designs and colour themes. Colours in the collection range from royal pink, white, fuchsia, orange, terracotta and turquoise blue. Gold and silver thread, the colours for the season, are incorporated into most of the outfits”.
His collection comprises of a skilful fusion of Indian and Japanese fabrics with Indian motifs and colors. The fabrics are obtained from various places - saree trimmings are from India and Thailand while lamé comes from India and Japan. Silk chiffon is sourced from China, Japan and Italy and silk velvet from Italy and Japan. Salabianca’s collection derives its inspiration from India.