Like most immigrants, Sheetol Chawla left her home country and moved to New Zealand looking for better opportunities and to follow her dreams.
Chawla’s love for fashion developed due to the rich cultural heritage and diversity in India’s handwoven textiles and strong craftsmanship. Growing up, she saw her mum reusing old sarees and transforming them into other wonderful things.
Her design philosophy is guided by her curiosity to explore the untold stories of various Indian communities and wishes to weave them into her designs.
“Each design condenses the harmony between hand, material, as well as the narratives,” said Chawla. Nature is one of her biggest inspirations when it comes to designing. “It is the perfect way to recharge and give a fresh and original direction to the design development process, so I always look for elements in nature. Attractive colours, shapes, textures, and patterns are all around in nature.”
An example that showcases her love for nature are her free-spirit style silhouettes which are influenced by a pair of swans, symbolising contentment and freedom. The silk organza is dyed by hand with pure turmeric and creates a hypnotic illusion. Over 500 metres of cording interspersed repetitively gives an impression that the gown is breathing. “Spiritual Shift uses the natural and spiritual worlds as inspiration for designs that encapsulate light, movement, grace, and freedom of spirit.”
Located in Chancery Street, the Sheetol Chawla brand is a team of four. They use 3-D sample designing and aim to innovate the artisanal, handcrafted fashion industry.
“Currently we are working on our very first womenswear couture collection, which is going to be featured in Paris Fashion Week on 1st Oct, 2023. Being part of Paris Fashion Week 2023 is a significant milestone for me.”
