Such is the brilliance of her brand that when you see a Payal Singhal couture ensemble, you’re not left to second guess its origins for Singhal has spent the last two decades strengthening her signature kitschy-meets-classic aesthetic. Today, she can easily be coined as every millennial bride’s dream designer for her ability to inject spunk into Indian bridal wear. On the occasion of her eponymous label accomplishing the twenty-year milestone, she has ventured into the prêt business in the pursuit to fortify the accessibility of her already approachable label. Below we find the minutest details of her latest launch – from what went into the making of the collection to what could be considered the star styles of the lot to what was her biggest takeaway from designing the diffusion line. Scroll down to read the exchange…

What entails PS Prêt by Payal Singhal?

The prêt collection that we have done for Nykaa Fashion is a combination of our best-selling silhouettes with all our best-selling prints. The entire collection is crafted in poly crepe to make the collection an affordable one because the biggest cost that goes into making all these garments is the pure fabrics that we use. Another advantage of poly crepe fabric is that it makes the garments washable at home. In terms of silhouettes, you’ll see all our comfort styles which have become popular like the dhoti saree or the low crotched pant – pieces that are great wardrobe staples.

Where did the idea of creating a prêt line stem from?

We created this collection because this year, we’re celebrating twenty years of Payal Singhal, but from the word go, we’ve always wanted to be an approachable brand. It was and is a very real brand – we’ve always worked with real women in our campaigns. And even though weirdly enough affordability and comfort are the two things that are frowned upon in fashion, they are extremely important aspects of the business and our brand ethos which is what we want our prêt collection to stand for. As we grew as a brand, the need to differentiate product lines and categories came and we realized that different retail platforms required different categories and different price points. For example, when we talk about an online space, they want a more accessible product – something that is easy to sell, that has a standard sizing and requires easy wash and care.

What did the mood board for this collection look like?

We had our brand’s main colors that our customers identify with – rose pinks, greys, powder blues, off-whites, blacks and navy blues. We had our signature floral and botanical prints, lots of straight lines – it’s a great way to create texture without embroidery and in a prêt line. We also had a lot of fuss free, easy to wear silhouettes – easy accents like an attached dupatta or one simple fastening at the waist keeping all the extra frills and fancies to a minimal.

What was the inspiration behind this collection?

I get asked a lot as to what inspires me and my collections and my answer always remains that while we’ll always have art, history and culture as starting points, for me it’s really just my customer who is the first person I think about while designing because I make clothes that have to be worn by a certain girl or certain type of woman. My prêt collection is an ode to the working woman who has a day job, probably has a family to take care of, is hustling between five different roles in her life but she wants to dress well, she is fashionable, she is well travelled and she doesn’t want to worry about mixing and matching.

How is PS Prêt by Payal Singhal different from your flagship collection?

We’ve maintained our aesthetic in the prêt collection – the same silhouettes and prints, but what is different from the flagship collection is the luxe appeal in terms of the fabric, the embroidery, the lining and so on because for our flagship collection it’s all handmade, it’s all hand done, it is painstakingly crafted which piles up into the cost. Gone are the days when skilled labor was reasonable in India. So, the difference, if you ask me, is that we have tried to give them a value for money ensemble at an affordable price while maintaining the brand aesthetic, but what’s been taken away is a few of the premium fabrics and embellishments. That said, we wanted to make sure that whenever someone shopped from PS Prêt by Payal Singhal, they go home feeling that they bought a Payal Singhal outfit.

What are some of the star styles in this collection?

I would say our best-selling silhouette which is our crop tops with dhoti sarees. It’s such a fun silhouette because anyone can wear it; right from a young girl going to a college-going teen to a married woman with a young baby to manage. It’s such a versatile silhouette, it’s super comfortable, it’s very easy to wear, it’s something which a lot of body types can wear, and you can dress it up or down.

How did you make the switch from designing bridal wear to designing fuss free styles that one can
wear on the daily?

Whether its the bridal wear or the semi-casual collection my customer is the same, only the price point differs. The same girl might want to wear a Payal Singhal lehenga for her wedding and still want to buy a prêt outfit for day-to-day wear or for smaller functions. With the prêt collection coming into the picture, I’m just able to cater to both those needs. We follow the same principles of design whether it’s for a couture lehenga or a prêt piece.

Reflecting on the early stages of crafting this collection, can you think of any challenging moments
that stand out?

I think the biggest, the most fun and the most challenging part was that, I don’t know how to be frugal and my team makes fun of me for that. It’s really difficult to make a product in a certain price point without compromising on a few things and I hate compromising because for me every customer is equal. The funny part was that every time a sample would be made, I’ll want to add an embellishment here or a trim there and every time I would get a strict glare from my staff, saying we can’t because then the price point will increase. So, I really had to control myself and hold back during the designing process of this collection.

What would you say are the key elements that any couturier should consider while creating a prêt
line?

I think one big thing which I noticed a lot of designers do while creating a prêt line is that they don’t even think about the fit. It’s such a simple thing, especially when it comes to an online shopper. I think it’s our responsibility as designers to do some great standard sizing for Indian bodies. The other factor to keep in mind is comfort because if a piece is uncomfortable, I’ll be instantly put off. They are really simple things but that’s what has differentiated good prêt brands from the others in the western wear market and that’s a great example to follow for Indian wear too.

What’s next for PS Prêt by Payal Singhal?

This is just beginning of the prêt line. We are hoping with platforms like Nykaa Fashion we can build a global audience for PS prêt by Payal Singhal. My dream is to make Indian prêt available at a global level like Zara or H&M. I’m hoping that we can have stores in malls all over the world not just in India where we can sell these prêt pieces and where of course the South Asians from all over the world can buy but people who are not from a South Asian background can also experiment with Indian silhouettes in the same way we adapt to so many international ones.

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