Fashion Forward: Anusha Parashar

Interviews, Art Direction and Photography by Asad Sheikh.

Five graduates from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi, walk us through their final-year projects

Anusha Parashar
Degree: Bachelor of Design (Knitwear Design)
Home town: Guwahati

How would you introduce your graduate collection?
Plastic Fantastic is a feel-good concept that captures the essence of youth. It’s playful — the idea is to have fun with what one wears — and it isn’t an embodiment of what the male gaze wants.

It is a wearable-art collection and involves elements inspired by the Barbie and bimbocore cultures as a feminist message that reclaims these tropes as empowering rather than derogatory and shallow, as seen in popular culture. Colour is used in unapologetic and unexpected ways — pink, purple and other sunset hues all have a home here — and the silhouettes range from fluid, feminine forms to younger, playful shapes with DIY elements. The range uses asymmetrical details and cut-outs, layering, experimental materials, fur, beads and hand-knitting.

It’s self-indulgent, it’s unapologetic and it’s pretty!

Tell us about your favourite look from the collection.
My favourite look from the collection is a single-sleeve ombré gown with exaggerated sleeve and bottom-hem details and a crochet bikini made of hearts. The colours are bright and playful while the silhouettes are fluid and sultry. This was one of the more wearable looks, and the idea was to strike a balance between art and wearability. My design process includes creating a mood, doodling, combining words with visuals and research.

Which format would best translate your work to the consumer — physical retail spaces, online stores, demi-couture, or purely as a form of visual consumption through images only?
Online consumption and demi-couture would suit it best, as it is intended to be a wearable-art collection.

Where do you think fashion is going with AI and the metaverse?
Fashion is becoming extremely personalised. It is bringing in customisation and more accessibility while reducing environmental impact.

Do you feel digital design is the answer to fashion’s waste problem?
Maybe it is not the solution, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Digital design will almost negate the waste created in the development and experimentation stages, as well as production waste.

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