BHARATI PAWASKAR
Young and dynamic, she is all set to conquer new horizons in her home state Goa. Passionately driving the Goan fashion brand with a vision to expand its horizons further in various other parallels of the fashion retail segment, designer Schulen Fernandes gives a fresh and contemporary look and feel to her creations. Making her presence felt at the Etsy Collective, she identifies with Etsy’s mission – to keep commerce human.
Founded in 2005 in Brooklyn (New York) Etsy connects buyers and sellers, gives them exposure and brings them together on a single platform. It is a global marketplace for unique and creative goods. Schulen had an instant connect with those present at 91, Springboard in Panaji. Her own passion for fashion has led her into this ever-changing industry that offers great opportunities to creative talent.
Schulen, who spent her life in the busy metropolitan city of Mumbai, finally returned to her roots in Goa with plans to take the fashion segment in the state to next level. Earlier, she had been here in the beginning of the millennium and having fallen in love with what Goa offers, opted to stay on in the state.
Schulen met her mentor from fashion school and India’s design guru, Wendell Rodricks in Mumbai and signing an internship with him, she came to Goa as his design assistant in 2000. Schulen studied Fashion Design at Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic (SNDT) and graduated winning an unprecedented six out of 11 graduation awards at ‘Chrysalis 1999. After her stint with Wendell, she moved back to Mumbai in 2004, only to return to Goa a decade later, in 2014. She began working closely with Wendell as design consultant for the next two years.
“I wanted to stay true to my creative core and return to my primary design environment. Leaving Mumbai’s busy life, I wanted to explore my creativity in the fullest form in a friendly, homely and ‘susegad’ environment that Goa offered,” says Schulen who had initiated yet another chapter in fashion, that of a stylist working with renowned domestic and international publications and brands, which added to her repertoire, well- August 2016 when she presented her first collection ‘Trapezoid’ under the label at Lakmé Fashion Week, taking over as design head for the brand.
Was leaving Mumbai easy? Would Goa offer the same opportunities and similar business? “I believe Goa has great potential. One only has to tap it. Yet, we lack infrastructure like raw material and local artisans, but not creative talent. If we focus on getting the structure right, we can do wonders,” smiles Schulen.
Commenting on the changing trends of fashion abroad, she admits, “Trends do change, but there’s no fixed time period, nor any borders. There is no definite structure in fashion. It can change any moment and whatever goes with the environment, with the requirement of the person or society, becomes the norm for the day. For me style is important. We have so much to explore.”
Expecting 2020 to be known for fast fashion, Schulen points out that recycling is the current area of awareness. “People are now conscious, of environment, of the carbon footprint and of the tremendous amount of waste that goes into landfills. Wanting to avoid that, there are people who work on creating something totally different and beautiful out of used clothing. It could be a bag or a mat or a stole which is reusable. That’s also fashion. Awareness is the key to fashion and the world is walking towards it today,” she maintains.
One must have an identity and stay true to it. Committed to the brand, this young fashion designer has understood the Wendell Rodricks DNA well and retains through her work, the designer label’s affinity for minimalism, Goan ethos, sharp colour contrasts and structure as well as Indian geometric lines. Wanting to give a contemporary look and feel to the brand while moving on to Wendell’s next ambitious project, the Moda Goa Museum, Schulen wants to promote the brand in both segments – luxury as well regular, affordable and accessible to all. Fashion should percolate every segment of the society for it to stay and get absorbed. It should not remain restricted to certain wardrobes of the elite and celebrities. A successful brand has its reach to commoners. Embracing technological innovation, the designers can adopt various means to add value to their labels, so that the market readily accepts them.
