“A designer all the time writes a narrative by means of their creations, drawing from a lifetime of experiences,” says Deepika Khatri, a contract dressmaker whose designs had been showcased on the crimson carpet on the Cannes Movie Competition. “It’s not a one-day dream however a lifelong journey. Every design displays the life they’ve lived. Via my designs, I dwell my life.”

Deepika has designed for worldwide manufacturers similar to Matalan, Tally Weijl, UCB, and Dorothy Perkins and was additionally chosen for the Girls Entrepreneurship Programme by Cornell College. From dropping out of her BA program in Lucknow and stepping into NIFT, Bengaluru, to establishing a sustainable vogue label, her path has been something however typical.

Ardour for vogue

Deepika’s ardour for vogue ignited in school 8 when her faculty launched a vogue research topic. “I realised this was my forte,” she says, over video name from Frankfurt in Germany, the place she relies. Nonetheless, her vogue dream confronted resistance from her household.

The turning level got here throughout her third yr of school when she noticed her brother pursuing marine engineering with the household’s assist. ”That hit me onerous. How might he determine what he wished to do, when advised me what I couldn’t do?” She determined to take a daring step in the direction of her dream by making use of for the NIFT (Nationwide Institute of Trend Expertise) entrance examination. Clearing it, marked the start of her formal schooling in vogue design. 

Atypical scholar

NIFT Bengaluru performed a pivotal position in reworking Deepika from a dreamer into an expert. Transitioning from Lucknow to NIFT Bengaluru in 2011, she discovered herself amidst “trendy” friends whereas she was clad in conventional salwar kameez together with her hair neatly plaited.

Regardless of feeling like an outsider, Deepika’s expertise earned the admiration of her academics. Whereas her classmates revelled within the metropolis’s social scene, Deepika devoted herself to her craft, which earned her the Most Artistic Knitwear Designer award. Although an introvert, Deepika’s designs exuded a boldness impressed by her creativeness. “I realised that is what I wished to do.”

Constructing a model

Deepika’s first job concerned coping with a difficult senior designer. Regardless of the preliminary hardships, her father’s recommendation to persevere proved invaluable. “In case you can work with this particular person, it is possible for you to to work with each single particular person in your life,” he advised her. Over time, she not solely earned that designer’s respect but in addition climbed the ranks to grow to be head designer.

In 2019, Deepika received married and moved to Germany. After the delivery of her baby, Deepika returned to work on the Frankfurt Trend Lounge. She participated in a sustainable design competitors, submitting a challenge that includes Khadi cloth and conventional Lucknowi work similar to chikankari and mukaish. Profitable the competitors offered her with the assist wanted to launch her vogue label, Deepika Khatri.

Deepika’s label focuses on eco-friendly materials and helps artisans. “We use handmade materials and embroidery to create our clothes,” she explains. By sourcing materials from Varanasi and involving artisans immediately, she ensures that her designs are each sustainable and genuine. “Every bit is completed by hand and is exclusive.”

Roll out the crimson carpet

Progressively, her designs gained worldwide recognition, culminating in her participation on the Cannes Movie Competition. Deepika’s journey to Cannes was facilitated by her connections made throughout numerous vogue weeks, notably those in Paris. “When you’re in a great community, you join with folks,” she notes, highlighting the collaborative nature of the style trade.

The costume she had designed for actor Rebecca Kunikowski for the Cannes crimson carpet, had detailed zardosi and kamdani work. “Whenever you take a look at that design and the costume, your eyes are shifting in every single place,” she says, describing its intricate work.

Representing her nation at Cannes was a surreal expertise for Deepika. “I by no means imagined this stuff would occur,” she says. Being in Germany offered her with alternatives that may have been tougher to come back by in India. “Right here, the celebrities and the community that you just construct, actually wish to assist you,” she explains, contrasting it with the challenges of gaining recognition in India.

Regardless of her success overseas, Deepika stays deeply linked to her roots. Her inspiration stems from her childhood in Lucknow the place she was surrounded by conventional embroideries and artisans. “The love for chikankari, mukaish and zardosi started for me from there,” she says. This cultural heritage is a cornerstone of her designs, and she or he feels that the demand for such conventional craftsmanship won’t ever fade. “Nonetheless, it’s a designer’s job to make it new each single time,” she says, speaking about retaining conventional crafts alive and related.

Future ahead

Deepika seems ahead to opening a retailer in Germany and collaborating within the Frankfurt Trend Week.

For aspiring vogue designers, Deepika’s recommendation is evident: “Look into your self and all the time be happy that if one thing is there in you, you may take it out and put it on paper.” She emphasises on perseverance, particularly within the face of economic challenges. “Preserve your self motivated. Individuals ought to preserve seeing you each single yr and that’s how you’ll attain someplace sometime.”