Designer Ruchika Sachdeva's first vivid memory of textiles is lurking around her mother’s sari collection and experimenting with the six yards of fabric. She recalls constructing makeshift tents and draping them on herself. Shift to present day, with her label Bodice, Ruchika has not only managed to establish her design language with her signature pleats, but still continues playing around and exploring them.
Pleating is a fascinating art with a rich history in fashion, but it is increasingly hard to find, and hand-crafted pleats are even rarer. Her love for pleats arises from her fascination with structure, geometry and order. In this collection, one will find the signature pleats as a craft transition into drapes, taking on a new journey of exploration. We’re in conversation with Ruchika as she tells about her aspirations to explore new frontiers in fashion, whether it's through innovative design, sustainable materials, or incorporating new technologies, amongst other things.
Tell us about what inspired the collection you showcased at the Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI?
It’s spring in full fervour at the Bodice studio in Delhi, coming straight from our farmhouse and all the images I took when I was in Bengal earlier this year. The clothes celebrate the cultural triumph of colour on the streets of India, unexpectedly interacting with our Bodice silhouettes. Indian Rani pink, bright holi greens and blues with hues of 'kora' that l spotted when I was in Kolkata.
The set for our presentation at Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI was inspired by Bombay's dhobi ghat, the world's largest outdoor laundry and its nonchalant beauty. It is truly inspiring how meticulously functional it is, amidst the chaos around it. The breezy outdoor northeast driveway at Jio World Garden was the ideal venue, that was turned into a fantasy of fabrics, as yards of multi-hued textile drapes, gently swayed in the wind.
What does sustainability mean for you in today’s day and age?
I believe in circularity. Though the most sustainable garment is the one that is never made, at Bodice we try to circulate our resources. We thrive by creating a creative practice with a keen appreciation of design flow and forming skill sets of an evolving atelier. So, it was a great experience to showcase a unique, sustainability focused presentation in association with RISE Worldwide at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI. For this SS23 collection, we took upcycling in our hands, which resulted in reinventing our leftover fabrics into newer silhouettes, colour stories and a hundred-and-twenty-foot-long patched fabric installation.
What do you think the fashion of now should look like?
Wardrobe staples refined to elevated daywear. For me, silhouettes that can take you from a work meeting to luncheons and sundowners are the way to go. It needs a conscious focus on versatile separates aimed to be re-worn and styled in multiple ways.
Finally, what’s coming up next for you and the label?
The previous year was rewarding in many ways. After bringing Indian fashion to Kochi during the biennale, dipping our toes into the world of art, Recover by Bodice at Than, Nila House, followed by Sajan Mani performance at India Art Fair. You can expect us taking Indian fashion beyond just wearability, while it is always the core.
Words Unnati Saini
Date 31-03-2023