COSMO EXCLUSIVE: Anavila Just Spilled the Beans On What to Expect at Her First Solo Show...

​It's her first solo show ever! So, Cosmo decided to have a little chat with Anavila about what to expect at her Autumn/Winter Collection at Amazon India Fashion Week 2016, and trust me, if you were losing out on her gorge stuff because you're not sari-safe, you won't anymore. There's lots more where those beautiful linen saris came from—and we have all the deets!

So, tell us about your latest collection that you're going to be showcasing at the AIFW. And what's the inspiration behind it

Well, the thought behind the collection was to manifest what we've been talking about—slow fashion, sustainable techniques, creating products with time. So this time, the entire collection revolves around folk. And 'folk' is basically everything we stand for. But it's not like we've gone back to folklore or used any folk techniques, but we've worked on different types of details on the same craft, and we've done it with the artisans that have worked with us since the brand started.

Have you experimented with any materials in this collection?

So this is the first time we're doing a winter collection because earlier we used to present at Lakme Fashion Week, which was more of a festive collection. And that's why we've worked with wool as a material. We've in fact blended wool and linen, and we've also worked with wool in a pure form. So we have shirts, and we even have a sari that's made completely out of Merino wool. That's one material we've introduced. And the second one that we're working with is lotus yarn. It's a beautiful yarn but it also happens to be the most valued yarn, and the most difficult to use. There's no sari that has been made with the lotus yarn because it's a very difficult yarn to work with. And that's something we've experimented with this time.

What is the colour palette you've worked with?

It's a very romantic, dusky palette. From strong beiges to light greys, olives, greens, and then woody colours like chocolates and browns.

Tell us some key pieces from this collection.

One is the lotus yarn sari, that's really special. And in fact, because of the material, the sari is actually extremely good for the skin as well. It's turned out to be very beautiful and we haven't dyed it or anything—it's the natural form of the yarn. Another one is a silk chocolate tunic, and a wool-silk jacket, which is beautiful. There's also a 100 percent Marino wool kaftan.

You've done more than linen saris this time. What was the thought behind that?

Earlier we used to do three to four tunics maybe, but it was a very small shift from the sari itself—it was more like an extension of the sari. But this time we've deliberately worked on a collection that's different, more forward so to speak. And we've done it with the purpose of giving more options to a really wide audience that we cater to now. So people who wear our saris have been writing to us and asking for more variety, and we've been working with that feedback. And after working for four and half years with linen saris it was time to take a leap. We needed to experiment more, but we've kept the essence the same.

So are we going to see a combination of separates and saris?

Yes! We've done close to 18 separates for the ramp, and there are saris as well.

And what's you favourite trend this season?

Like I said, we're romancing folk and it's our muse for this collection. So, there is this chirpy, girly element that we're trying to project. And we've used a lot of pleats to do that in different silhouettes and different ways. So there are pleats in our blouses in our shirts even in our skirts this time. That's definitely a trend that I'm leaning towards.