‘Maya’ by Hiroshi Fuyuroshi (1959)

ABOUT

I am Ishani Nandamuri, a student at London College of Fashion studying BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Development. As a designer, I am extremely drawn to and take inspiration from literature often dark, frightful, and bizarre stories of the old world. I create womenswear and menswear haute couture to transport one into the fantastical world I’ve created through each collection. Growing up, my very first encounter with strange stories was when my mother would read my brother and I bedtime stories at the end of a long day. Often, I would fall asleep dreaming about the characters and outlandishness of the world being described in the books. I soon became an avid reader and absolutely fell in love with writing from a young age. Paired with the fact that my family took weekly trips to the cinema, I developed a vivid imagination for worldbuilding and otherworldliness which translates into my collections and design approach. I would describe my work as flipping through a children’s bedtime story or watching a fantasy film unfold. Exciting, whimsical yet with darker undertones addressing issues we collectively face as a society today. My design style is often encompassed by amusing silhouettes which are non-confirmative and create a certain structure to take up space. I like to question the natural human form by tricking one’s perception of what is conventionally considered normal.

At Ishani Nandamuri, the question of “Do we need more fashion?” is addressed. With the overproduction of clothing on a global scale, the brand chooses to limit itself to fewer collections which are not based on seasonal releases. This keeps the quality of garments and artistic design innovation at the forefront. The brand believes in the value of quality clothing that last a lifetime and memories that the garments illicit much like a dusty novel on a bookshelf. The made-to-order nature of the couture brand allows less wastage without overproduction. The brand follows the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen. Kaizen translates to ‘continuous improvement’. This places employee initiation, collaboration, responsibility, safety, and overall welfare at the forefront of the operation. Besides, the company also maintains quality assurance through every stage of production. Despite the time-consuming nature of this method, it leads to less wastage and an overall better-quality product for the consumer.

Despite the dark, fictional, escapist nature of the brand, Ishani Nandamuri believes that real-world problems such as the environmental crisis must be addressed through each collection. The brand uses reworked vintage upholstery, offcuts while also collaborating with companies and innovators who have created technological advancements in fabric through recycled materials. Mylo leather (mycelium leather), Wooca (Vegan wool) Banana Sylk, EVERNU (Old clothing turned into a new textile) are examples of a few. The brand supports Made in UK and Made in India fabrics and age-old craft techniques such as printmaking, embroidery, and crochet to support small businesses and local artists to revive disappearing craft.

Empowerment is at the core of brand. In a world where peculiarity is shunned, Ishani Nandamuri welcomes individual uniqueness. The brand follows a Human led design approach: This approach focuses on empowering artisans and who create the garments. The company follows a centralised, team-based circular business structure. This structure allows the company to have an outward vision with equal importance to all divisions. The brand follows a democratic style of leadership which engages in two-way communication. This boosts employee morale. Inclusivity is significant in not only the models chosen for campaigns (race, gender identity, body type) but also inclusivity within the workforce. The brand does not follow a traditional advertising/promotional strategy and has a reduced marketing budget. This maintains exclusivity for consumers while the budget is invested on highly skilled, technical human resource who are paid well- above the standard pay given by the brand’s competitors.

The brand is aware of the wastefulness of many couture fabrics and takes a constant initiative to make a difference every step of the way. A garment’s lifecycle is given thorough thought from the sourcing of materials (upcycled couture fabrics), product production (kaizen and quality assurance) till the end as textile waste in landfills. Any offcuts or extra fabrics will be used or repurposed by the brand.