The miniature loom Vaishali Shadangule gifted me is symbolic of her focus on Indian weaving techniques, near-extinct textiles and hand embroideries which she hopes to bring to the forefront of global fashion with globally- relevant textiles and her hands-on approach to keep it alive is visible in her effort to pick a rural weaver cluster each season, to live and work with them, resulting in beautiful handcrafted collections. 

''I love to go and sit with weavers when they begin working on a fabric: I feel each weave has some part of me in it, and that sets the mood of that particular piece. Love for design and iinovation does the rest: I try to give it a global language,'' she always expresses.

At lakme Fashion Week X FDCI, Lakmé Salon launched hair and makeup collection 'Beneath' in collaboration with Vaishali S. The collection showcases wearable art, painstakingly recreating elements of nature through handwoven indegenous textiles, innovative textures and globally relevant silhouettes. The hair and makeup were designed and curated complement the designer’s vision and drew inspiration from elements from the ocean including conch, coral, kelp, octopus and wave. Word has it that the beauty team used recycled hair extensions and eco-friendly Ayurvedic colours in sync with the sustainability mandate. National Gold Medalist swimmer, Richa Mishra, looked radiant as the showstopper.

''I have always followed my own instincts when it comes to my work, which has enabled me to carve my own niche in the industry. Showcasing three consecutive years at Paris Haute Couture Week… propelled the brand to another level and made me discover other levels of creativity and workmanship. This collection depicts my discovery of the underwater world and also myself by diving into the unknown. The looks curated and designed by the team at Lakmé Salon aligned with my vision for the collection and became an extension of each outfit,’' explained the designer in an official release.

— JASMEEN DUGAL