INTERVIEW| Little Shilpa

Little Shilpa’s SS15 collection looks to decades gone by to update a wardrobe staple. Disco metallics feature in pleated headpieces, while denim goes DIY with shape-making cords. Little Shilpa herself speaks to Fashion Scout about her inspiration, presentation and why accessories are so important.

What was the inspiration for this collection?

This collection is where I bring together the past, the present and the future. It’s inspired by music, by club kids, it’s inspired by the beat generation, by disco, and it’s also kind of rounded off, bringing everything together, using denim. I feel like all of us wear denim almost everyday, and it becomes kind of like a second skin. So in my collection, the denim is just like rectangular pieces of clothing, but you can see there are cords on the clothes, and you can keep pulling and tugging and change the shape of the garment, so it’s kind of a DIY denim collection. The headpieces and the epaulettes are in pleated metallic fabrics, which are inspired by the disco era. So it’s the future of the denim, going into the past to get disco, and marrying it all together as clothing for the new generation.

Are you frequently inspired by diverse eras? 

I will always have a basic inspiration, but I’ve always tried to tell a few different stories within one collection. I get inspired by what’s happening in my life at that point, and you know right now it is all about music. I’m still feeling disco, I’m still feeling metallic, but I still live my everyday life and it is still all about denim. So all of this has come together and created the collection.

Where does your collection feel most at home, in India, London or another city?

I think it’s for anyone who understands my brand. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with where you live globally, it’s part of what you feel in your headspace. This is more for somebody who likes to experiment with what they wear. Even though it is denim, you’re still changing shapes as per your whim. Even if it’s a headpiece and it’s metallic, it’s how you feel. You may not want to wear a metallic headpiece of metallic dress, but there will come a point in time where you want to wear something shiny. I think it’s more for someone who understands the mood of the collection or the mood of the brand.

People have told you that India wasn’t ready for your brand - where do you stand on that now?

I’ve always said that nobody’s not ready for it. You always have to make it available for somebody to be able to experience it. If I thought that I couldn’t make a denim collection because it wouldn’t work in London or it wouldn’t work in India. My label can’t work like that. You always have to kind of push it out there, and then somehow it always works, it always finds its way around. 

How do you feel about showing with Fashion Scout again?

I love showing with Fashion Scout. I’ve had immense support over the last three seasons, and the organisation and the way they just bring everything together is amazing.

By Isabella Silvers
Photographs by Elizabeth Hodson.