Textile designer Ashdeen Z Lilaowala is excited. Reason? The Delhi-based designer, author and curator will be returning to his home city Mumbai with a free exhibition ‘The Breakfast Club’ in the first week of March this year.
He tells us, “Being part of the Parsi community and having grown up in Mumbai, it always brings me immense joy to return to the city.”
Talking about his work Ashdeen says, “The Breakfast Club is a love letter to my growing up years. It is a call to return to the joy and fabulousness of fashion—something we are in dire need of in the present moment. My sentimentality for the past comes alive through charming storytelling and nods to eighties pop culture. It is my ode to the 80s heroine who was a picture of paradox— bold with a touch of whimsy, innocent yet flirtatious, unafraid to experiment and play a little, romantic yet never without her glorious sense of humour.”
Ashdeen is known for his hand-embroidered saris inspired by the Parsi Gara tradition and specialises in crafting contemporary interpretations of centuries-old Oriental and Persian embroidery techniques featuring stylized flora and fauna motifs among other symbols that represent the Zoroastrian reverence to nature.
He says, “Our creations amalgamate traditional Parsi Gara aesthetic with a contemporary look. We offer unique and distinctive bespoke designs to suit individual customer tastes and requirements.” Each timeless piece is designed as a modern heirloom to be treasured and passed down generations.
In the midst of what is seeming like an unending struggle with a global pandemic, this retro-tinged collection reminds us of simpler times, of what’s truly important, and to always cherish those little pleasures.