Fall Winter 2023 Collection: Anichya (Impermanence)
Recently I sojourned to Vipassana, a 10-day meditation to silence everything that I could not silence myself. No phones, exercise, or reading. On the third day, a painted lady butterfly flew to refuge on my window and it gave me something new to ponder upon. Does a butterfly know that it was once a caterpillar in its previous life? We as designers labor for more hours than the months give, only for it to be all over in a 10-minute show. How does one find their center in between the fleeting moments of joy and despair?
This experience reminded me of my time with my mother in Nepal, a mythical place, rich with tradition and spirituality, constantly flowing between silence and patience; yesterday and tomorrow; humanity and the heavens. This collection is a spiritual awakening through the lens of impermanence and metamorphosis – the ideas that nothing is fixed and all are constantly in flux. Change provokes a sense of optimism, that everything is ever evolving. This is the beauty of impermanence that rather than fear it, one must embrace it.
This season cuts sharper and longer silhouettes. The asymmetry challenges the idea of harmony and juxtaposes lightness against dark, soft draping against hard angularity - such as the voluminous shoulders paired with fluid, gliding skirts. Colors are reminiscent of my mystical nights of my homeland. Coming from the seasons past of vibrant colours, instead we are exploring the moodier, richer hues of vermilion, saffron, and burgundy. The crystal embellishments and gold embroideries are reminiscent of my brighter stars at home, since we always used to say that we are closer to the celestial bodies in the heavens.
We all know that every beginning has its end, but what they never tell us is how soon it begins again. This 10- minutes represents the 10 days of my spiritual centering. And in the 10 seconds that you read this... This too will be anichya (impermanence).