"Each one is a super achiever in her own space,” couturier Ashdeen Lilaowala said about the women whose portraits he chose to display to mark a decade of his eponymous brand. They played an important role in his journey, he told Parsiana prior to the October 6, 2023 opening of the 15-day exhibition "Threads: a decade of Ashdeen” at his Colaba store. The designer is best known for invigorating and contemporizing the Parsi gara while keeping its essence intact. All the women were photographed on their home turf, decked out in garas, naturally, many from Lilaowala’s atelier.
He mentioned the difficulties involved in choosing a few. "There have been so many who have helped...across the years, each one in a different way…They are like my family…There are many who have already been photographed, so I chose newer people.” Lilaowala is quoted in the exhibition brochure: "I find their great taste, generous hearts and the conviction to go against the grain endlessly inspiring.”
Clockwise from above l, Ashdeen Lilaowala’s model women:
Kerman Mehta, Dr Niloufer Shroff, Aditi Ranjan, Delna Mistry
Ever the warm people-person, Lilaowala told Parsiana how he selected the name for the exhibit: "It refers to the intricate web of relationships that helped me build the brand.” Besides celebrating the embroidery that is the heart of his work, it is "also an ode to his craftspeople,” he said. He started his Delhi store in 2018 and the one in Bombay in 2022 (see "Ashdeen’s artistry,” Parsiana, September 21-October 6, 2022).
Lilaowala roped in acclaimed photographer Rema Chaudhary for the project. Appreciative of the "complete creative autonomy” Lilaowala gave her, she told Parsiana after the shoot that she loves photographing portraits. "They allow me access to people’s personal spaces and it’s perhaps my favorite aspect of being a photographer… I approached my subjects with the same respect and consideration that I would like to receive in front of the camera. I gave them ample space allowing them the time they need to feel at ease, even embracing those moments of discomfort because I think there is something very intimate about them.” She loves working with the natural form in which the subjects sit or stand or move through a room, making only subtle adjustments along the way, she explained.
The models include physicist Dr Niloufer Shroff, professor and author Rukshana Shroff, founder and director of Parzor, Dr Shernaz Cama, homemaker Roshan Cama, fashion editor Malini Banerji, textile designer Mala Sinha, social worker Mackie Majra, pianist Kerman Mehta, entrepreneur Delna Mistry, fashion entrepreneurs Cherazad Pestonji and Maniza Patny, textile designer Aditi Ranjan and mother Shernaz Lilaowala.
The exhibition is on until October 21 at Ashdeen, First Floor, Vaswani House, 7, BEST Marg, Colaba, Bombay.