Beauty and femininity are ageless and can’t be contrived, just as glamour, cannot be manufactured. The elements that create glamour are not styles but qualities like grace, elegance, and transcend ence. This month we bring to you, an Indian ethnic wear designer who is a brand by herself. A designer who can make the simplest of women look classy, elegant yet glamorous, she has been designing outfits for the last 21 years. Dressing up would-be brides in their dream outfits is her forte.
Let’s hear what Sheetal Batra has to say:
“Fashion means comfort and elegance to me. People have complimented time and again that I look very elegant and graceful and that is what I portray in the outfits I design. It might come as a surprise to today’s young generation but I am a no-make-up person. For me, radiant and glowing skin is far more important than covering up that skin with makeup. The essential make–up when I have to wear is just eyeliner, a little bit of blusher, and lip gloss. Where beauty products are concerned, I always like to invest in good brands so that my skin is taken care of. Being a minimalistic person – for me a basic moisturizer, is more than ample. Where natural things are concerned, I love to apply fresh Aloe Vera Juice on my Sunday mornings.
If we talk about fitness – at 47 years old I would say fitness means the world to me. I practice yoga religiously from 7:00 – 7:30 a.m. every morning. Sundays I take a little break but yoga is what gives me mental clarity, besides keeping me active.
I am an Indian wear designer and the reason for my getting into this profession has been my love for Indian heritage embroideries and clothing. When I want to look and feel beautiful it is definitely ethnic Indian wear. When wearing Western wear at work or travel – it is elegance, comfort, and wearing pure and organic fabrics that take the first seat. I would recommend investing a little more money in good brands as the finishing always surpasses the cost. I only do Indian wear so for my Western wear I like to spend on good pieces and have created a capsule wardrobe that I can mix and match. I normally like to shop online because of my work-related hectic schedules I barely get time to reach a shopping venue. Online has changed the perspective of fashion retail in the world. Keeping up with the times we have ventured into virtual space too. People are loving to shop for our outfits through our website. Now half of our turnover is online and the other half is at stores.”
Sheetal is a self-proclaimed workaholic and her average work time is around twelve hours leaving her little or no room for hobbies. Given a choice, she would love to read books. Even while she is traveling, be it for work (she does 20+ shows internationally) or leisure – she loves to explore new countries, learning about their fashion, fabrics, and manufacturing qualities. Tracing her steps back in time, when she started her journey from a small room in her home to her clothes now adorning the shelves of elitist stores in our country as also internationally, her journey has been an inspiring one. Known for her soft-spoken and gentle demeanor, this mother of two grown-up kids is grateful for the immense love people have shown for her work.
