DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
PADMAJA BELIEVES THAT
IN SOCIETIES ACROSS
THE WORLD, THERE
HAS ALWAYS BEEN
A SYMBOLIC VALUE
ATTACHED TO CLOTHING.
designing from NIFT, New Delhi (1998–2001), and
stepped into the world that was her true calling—
one of clothes-making and textiles.
SETTING UP STUDIO
In 2012, after six years of working as a design
consultant with the corporate as well as crafts
sectors, and a four-year sabbatical after the birth
of her first child, she founded Studio Padmaja.
“I set up my studio with three aspirations—to
observe and reflect on the relationship between
human behaviour and clothing in my designs, to
integrate the work of traditionally skilled artisans
with modern design practice, and to combine
sustainability and social responsibility with humour
and delight,” she says.
Padmaja believes that in societies across the
world, there has always been a symbolic value
attached to clothing. A person’s attire holds a
social, political, and cultural context. “While one
may not make subjective value judgements, the
choice of dress is certainly insightful and indicative
of the wearer’s personality. For instance, a person
who chooses to wear khadi conveys that they
subscribe to slow, handmade, locally produced,
evolved, natural clothing that respects the maker
and the environment. It is very likely that such a
person would be drawn to making similar choices
with their overall lifestyle as well,” she elaborates.
APPAREL
I
June 2019
I
93