September 17, 2018 |
Sportswear met saris for Supriya Lele’s sexily sumptuous SS19 collection. Dressed in the designer’s signature lo-fi luxury layered designs, models stood confidently cool in a set designed by Amy Stickland, as a soundtrack by SkyH1 played in the background. “This collection was about trying to consolidate all my signature elements into something fresh and different,” says Supriya to one side of her first solo presentation. “I just wanted to play with colour and texture, it’s all about draping, transparency and layering,” she explains.
After completing her Masters at The Royal College of Art in 2016, she showcased her last three seasons with the support of and under the guidance of Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East initiative. Now Supriya joins the ranks of the BFC’s NEWGEN alongside the likes of Richard Malone, Matty Bovan and Richard Quinn. “It was much tougher than I anticipated – so many things to juggle,” she continues. “When you’re with Fashion East, you don’t necessarily see how much work they put in behind the scenes to make the show run well – that’s something I really appreciate now. However, I had Amee [Patel] alongside me the whole time and she was my rock!”
As always, the clothes were a testament to the duality of her Indian and British cultural heritage, with a large helping of contemporary minimalism thrown in for good measure. This season Supriya delved deep into the imagery of her leather-bound family photo album, as well as reinventing staple items from her own (and her boyfriend Jamie’s) wardrobe. Sporty, nylon pieces tailored to perfection, take on an elegance alongside layers of translucent neon pink and yellow silk chiffon, tulle and lashing of shiny satin. Ornate sari embroidery covered the nipples of loosely crochet bras and a swathe of acid lime green sari spilt out of an updated take on a classic camel-coloured trench.
All looks were paired with every girl’s dream pair of kitten-heeled Manolo Blahnik mules, and finished with silver earrings, arm cuffs and rings created in collaboration with Husam El Odeh (for the second season running). Aside from Husam, Supriya also worked closely with Holly Davis, Caitlin Price and Markus Wernitznig. “Collaboration is key – being young designers I think that’s the way to go forward,” she says assertively. Watch this space as Supriya Lele is certainly one to watch.
Photographs by Chris Yates.
