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Pallavi Khorana

"As a child, I always enjoyed draping clothes on myself, experimenting with flowing fabrics. When guests would come, my sister and I would drape ourselves with clothes and accessories and dance around the house.

"My name is Pallavi Khorana and I was born on November 14, 1982.

"I was always interested in how models are styled and the grace with which they carry themselves. How someone is transformed with a makeover and how you bring out the beauty of a garment on the catwalk. I wanted to get as close to the industry as possible and know everything about it. So every day after school, I would assist designers in fashion shows. This was my first step toward my dream. "I wanted to learn everything related to fashion. After that I joined the PEARL Academy of Fashion. Then I went to the London College of Fashion to learn more about the European market, especially in fashion communication. That included a trip to Paris to study its museums. Back in Delhi, I took several other courses in conjunction with this. I joined the ELITE school of modeling to learn make up, hairstyling, walking the ramp, going to the market to find clothes and mix them in a creative way. I also studied the different ways of draping a sari and dupata. I learned photography, too. All these courses enhanced my visualization for the final outfit. "I believe if you make clothes for people, you have to understand how they feel and carry themselves. All these courses help me to read the minds of people. Then I'm able create something perfect for the wearer – exactly what he or she is looking for. "I am inspired by Mughal art and palaces like the Taj Mahal. My motifs are like the intricate carvings on those walls. I always work with two opposite elements to cut the monotony of the fabric. With geometry, I start with linear lines as a base and stitch curved patterns on top. I also do this with print and fabric. This continues with my western silhouettes, which amalgamate perfectly with Indian print. "In my work, I use India's traditional hand embroidery, which is different from the western way of stitching. I use an aari technique where the silk is stretched on an adda, then I rapidly push a big needle from above, meeting the thread at the bottom. You don't see what's beneath when you embroider it. With metallic zardozi embroidery, I use a lot of threads at one time on a tinier needle. We can make French knots with it, chhallas, and anything else. Each embroidery technique is the specialty of one of eight people who collaborate with me. It can take a whole day just to make a flower pattern in the zardozi technique. "I've exhibited in 'In Touch with Fashion' in Dubai, and in the British High Commission to benefit mentally challenged children, as well as in a number of India venues."