October 2019 Edition Apparel October 2019 issue | Seite 64

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
SINCE SHE CONSIDERS
DESIGNING A FORM
OF SELF-EXPRESSION,
STANZIN ALLOWS HER
WORK TO FLOW WITHOUT
A PLAN. SHE GOES WITH
HER GUT FEELING.
pashmina fibre—at 12–15 microns—is the finest
in the world. Though the fibre is sourced from
Changthangi goats that live in the higher reaches
of Ladakh, it is sold to Kashmir and other places.
In this process, the knowledge of Ladakh being
the fibre’s source is not conveyed properly. So it
was during this project that I came to know of the
natural raw materials available for spinning yarns
in Ladakh, and how they have not been given due
recognition nationally.”
STUDIO TALK
During the time, Stanzin had heard of a fashion
show at the five-day Naropa Festival, held
near Leh, which celebrates the life of Buddhist
philosopher and scholar Naropa, with traditional
cultural performances and other events. She had
presented a collection at the festival, which was
designed with local textiles and contemporary
cuts. After this, she instinctively knew that she
could set up a label there.
Stanzin thus established her studio in
Leh, and launched her label Zilzom in 2018,
named in honour of Shema Zilzom, a Ladakhi
noblewoman. Stanzin was deeply inspired by
her as she had graciously stood her ground
against higher authorities back in the day.
Another reason behind christening her label
‘Zilzom’, is that the word stands for beauty and
the convergence of positive energies. She lent
the label indigenousness by incorporating fabrics
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I APPAREL I
October 2019
woven with yarns of pashmina, sheep, and yak
wool; decided to embellish the fabrics with digital
art and motifs that were her interpretation of local
elements of nature—such as flowers, and birds
and clouds seen in vast blue skies—along with
those seen in art and architecture.
Since she considers designing a form of
self-expression, Stanzin allows her work to flow
without a plan. She goes with her gut feeling,
deriving inspiration from nature as well as local
culture. Through this approach, she designs
everyday garments with surface embellishments
and deep, earthy hues. She was sure of wanting
to design garments that would be timeless
(thus subscribing to the tenets of sustainability),
evocative of heritage, bear artisanal touches, and
be made of locally available fabrics woven from
natural fibres.
PUTTING THE PROCESSES IN PLACE
Streamlining these thoughts, Stanzin decided to
bring out a distinct product range of pashmina
shawls adorned with hand-embroidery. “The
handmade pashmina shawls of Ladakh are
plain and dyed with natural, organic colours.
The shawls are handwoven with hand-spun
pashmina yarns, and are a little thicker than the
Kashmiri pashmina shawls. At Zilzom, when we
first worked with locally woven pashmina shawls,
I wanted to add more value to them by fusing in
different design elements.
“Hence, I came up with hand-embroidered
shawls that were different from the Kashmiri ones.
They were innovatinve and at the same time,
challenging because embroidering on Ladakhi
pashmina is quite difficult.” However, she adds
that having a store in Ladakh has been fruitful as
she receives clients from all over the world. She
elaborates, “Most of my clients hail from different
countries and the south of India. It is most
satisfying when my clients understand the beauty
of each handcrafted garment without me having
to explain it to them.”