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Pleasing pastel shades of pale pink and pistachio green dominate the interiors. Plate glass windows with golden leaves on them let in the sunlight and the greenery from the trees outside. An uncluttered reception area with a white wooden surajmukhi (sunburst patterned) cupboard welcomes guests as does a console table that on the day of the opening was adorned with a traditional ses. Over the console hangs a piece of wall art in pale shades of blue and white, embellished with the designer’s favorite motif — the crane.
His loyal clientele will flock to couturier Ashdeen Lilaowala’s newly opened outlet, "Ashdeen,” in tony Colaba in Bombay to stock up on his creations. They will be awed by the gorgeous colors, the cuts, the range of shimmering fabrics in his Chinese-inspired patterns. Those who are yet undecided on making an investment can soak in the aesthetics of the showroom. A decade after brand Ashdeen entered the market and four years after he opened his Delhi store, the city boy is back. "Bombay is Bombay,” he said, walking us around the store a few days before its August 25, 2022 opening. "All manufacturing will (continue to) happen at our Delhi karkhana (workshop),” he stated.
As with everything about the store, the invitation to the opening on social media was elegant, preambled by a video of light-eyed model Anjali Sivaraman in a red gara. The couturier gets a tad dreamy-eyed when he tells us about his muse for the Bombay collection, Hollywood diva Elizabeth Taylor. "We created a line of classic garas, many with elegant borders, with a gemstone inspired color palette as a nod to Liz’s eternal style,” stated the press release issued by his office. The wide-necked blouses, the make-up and the bobbed hair and indeed all of Sivaraman’s styling give a very 1950s vibe that Lilaowala unveiled on his social media and his 50-page catalog titled "Liz in Bombay.” The collection taps into Taylor’s influence on his life and his design aesthetic. "She was the first true blue global superstar. It was not only her elegance and beauty that inspired me, but also her activism for the LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, inquiring, asexual/aromantic/agender) community, her contribution to films, and her resilience over the years,” said the designer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I think design is important in every aspect of life… It needs to translate into what you eat, how you live your life… Good design need not always be expensive,” believes Lilaowala. "And it has to be sustainable,” he quipped, pointing to the pistachio green frames on which his creations hang. "These were left behind by the previous occupant of the place (a men’s clothing store)… A little work… a little imagination” is what was needed, he said, pointing to the dull gold floral embellishments on the frames that he got crafted. These find a resonance with the dull gold of the light fittings from Chor Bazar and the brass edges of the windows. "All that the flooring needed was a good polishing… I left the beams on the ceiling intact…I love old things...
"We got this chinoiserie specially done,” pointing to the three crane motif panels that line one wall. Three sections in the store are demarcated by the stands on which hang Lilaowala’s creations — one each for accessories, saris and bridal wear. Pointing to the curved sofa and teapoys complete with a tea set he explained, "This becomes an exclusive area should clients desire privacy” to try on his creations. The interiors he credits to interior designer Ali Baldiwala. The plate glass windows were created by graphic designer Ruchita Madhok.
Friends and family have gifted him aesthetical, antique objects for the store. "I still have to find a place for these two antique portraits of a gentleman and a lady from yesteryear,” he said, pointing to two large frames in an alcove in the 1,700 sq ft store. Yet another cabinet displays a collection of large pearls; atop the cabinet stands a yellow Chinese porcelain vase gifted by friend Minnie Boga.   
"We will have cultural events in this space too as we have had in the Delhi store,” Lilaowala told us (see "Lilaowala’s ‘enriching’ space,” Parsiana, November 7, 2018).
To allegations that his products are not easy on the pocket, the now "fab at 42” designer said, "Apart from being a luxury product, people realize that these products are hand crafted, which take a lot of skill, patience and time… People are spending money on that.” Each product takes between six to eight weeks to deliver after the client makes a decision, he stated.
Pointing to his recently introduced range of organza saris — with Chinese inspired motifs, of course — the designer stated that "these are super airy and light.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Original work”
After studying design at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, the young Lilaowala did a stint with UNESCO Parzor in Delhi. Having been a researcher with Parzor both for his NID project and later, he is now an executive member at Parzor, whose director Dr Shernaz Cama said, "We value Ashdeen very much.” She commended his meticulous research on textiles. "Whether it was studying kusti weaving or symbols on garas he asked experts and did a wide amount of reading… It is this which makes his dedication to his heritage so important — not just for the present but more importantly for the future… Unlike other successful entrepreneurs he hasn’t changed a bit in his sense of humor, his teasing and his team work.”
Puppeteer and craftsman Dadi Pudumjee knew Lilaowala from his days at NID when he had conducted a workshop there and the association continued after the fresh graduate moved to Delhi. "Parzor had just started… He helped them with their research…There is a wealth of material that he worked out… He gave ideas” which resulted in the Parzor tome Threads of Continuity — The Zoroastrian Craft of Kusti Weaving, jointly with Cama. As Pudumjee states: "Lilaowala does original work…That is why he is special… He keeps the gara relevant…But we do have a standing joke that he is fixated on the crane (as a motif in his designs)!”
Textile expert and collector who co-authored Peonies and Pagodas: Embroidered Parsi Textiles: Tapi Collection Shilpa Shah recalled the "dapper, keen-eyed 20-year-old” Lilaowala when they met "many moons ago” at Parzor’s office. "Gingerly, he placed before us a few embroidered samples he had developed… It was easy to see a sensitive, restless designer’s hand at work, one who was harnessing heritage, only to go beyond... And that he has done.” To her, Lilaowala’s creations "spell a quiet sophistication… (They have) found their very own place on the fashion map of today.”
US based Behroze Clubwala, who has known Lilaowala over 20 years recalled: "We were raising money to build our new Dar-e-Mehr in upstate New York. He agreed to do a two-day show for us…. which we held in New York City and southern New Jersey… He captured audiences with his story ‘Painting with a Needle.’ It was an outstanding success, and Ashdeen donated generously to our building fund.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the 12th World Zoroastrian Congress this July "Ashdeen wrote a beautiful script titled ‘One World, One People’…. Supporting our theme of ‘Bridging the Global Zarathushti Existence’ for our gala night. There was endless applause. Again he was very generous in donating to our Congress.
"In every show I have done with him, I am beyond bowled over by his mother Shernaz and father Zubin who stand by him, roll up their sleeves and at the Congress his sister and her family were always by his side. His mother took the final bow with him, as did his sister and niece. Also, what touches me is that he gives other Parsi artists within our community an opportunity to excel with him. That community love is rare and precious.”