"Recent Univeristy of Westminster graduate and emerging fashion designer Meera Sharma proves to have become a jill of all trades...it’s no doubt that Miss Sharma has established a presence for herself with her distinct aesthetic vision."
Recent Univeristy of Westminster graduate and emerging fashion designer Meera Sharma proves to have become a jill of all trades as she also considers herself to be an avid fashion blogger and budding journalist. Having already been featured in esteemed sources including TATLER and WGSN, it’s no doubt that Miss Sharma has established a presence for herself with her distinct aesthetic vision. However, The Style Line wanted to delve in a little further and find out more about Meera’s design process, endeavors and hopes for the future.
Tell us about your artistic endeavors.
My artistic endeavors usually consist of designing and if I am not designing then I do enjoy blogging and writing. My main achievement this year however is certainly creating my graduate collection and having my runway show!
How would you describe your design process?
My design process usually consists of finding inspiration, which can come in the form of a picture, or an item of clothing for example, and then developing it further by toiling on the stand with fabric and other materials.
What inspires you? How would you describe your aesthetic?
I can be inspired by a variety of things, anything from a picture, an item of clothing or even a movie. Take my graduate collection, for it comic books and the idea of the female superhero inspired me.
My aesthetic is that I like to use contrasts in fabrics, so tough fabrics mixed with softer fabrics e.g. sheer fabrics and leathers. I also like to make sure that my garments can be worn in a selection of ways, which is what I developed further into my graduate collection by using straps.
Can you give us some background on your senior collection?
My graduate collection was based on the female superhero, who to me is the ultimate woman; she is powerful, sexy and not afraid to stand up for what is right. My collection looked at the contrasts in the female superhero’s life, which was portrayed via the contrasting fabrics – leathers, plastics and sheer fabrics. I also developed this idea further with the cut outs in the fabrics that showed the two layers to her life.
The garments feature leather straps allowing them to be styled in a number of ways. The more you pull the straps the more the garment changes shape a bit like how a superhero changes their outfit!
What would you consider your specialty? Why?
My specialty is certainly in womenswear more so ready to wear. I do like to design clothing that can be styled in a variety of ways and I like to work with a variety of fabrics, I don’t like to limit my creativity by using only a selection of fabrics. I also enjoy screen print and usually feature a print design in my garments. In my graduate collection I opted for a subtle print to add to the powerful vibe of the collection.
What advice do you have for emerging fashion designers?
You really need to work hard to get your name out there as there are so many upcoming fashion designers. It is good to network and with the Internet and variety of social networking sites out there it is much easier to make yourself heard.
Ultimately though just keep working hard and be true to yourself. Working in fashion is hard work and not as glamorous as people often perceive but if you enjoy it then its well worth it!
