Pavni & Madhu

Featured in the Thailand Tatler Magazine November 2011 issue as one of the top Bollywood Boutiques in Thailand!

Extract from Magazine:

Established almost 20 years ago, Madhu is one of the first local Indian boutiques in Thailand. “My mother Madhu started off holding an exhibition every six months and her designs were received well, selling up to 30 of her outfits the first time,” recalls Pavni Kalra, who also has her own eponymous brand. “Within a couple of years she opened her own space and two years ago I joined her.” Her path as a designer wasn’t always set in stone however; she studied economics in Chicago, but after working as an intern in a financial research company she decided to switch careers and study fashion design in Bangkok. “I felt stifled in the financial sector and decided to go back and do what I was meant to do,” Pavni smiles. The mother and daughter designers target very different clientele. Pavni mostly makes ready-to-wear clothes, while Madhu specialises in custom-made orders. “My mum has a really loyal set of clients for whom she does on-order outfits,” says Pavni. “We know our clients pretty well and run our business in a very homestyle way.” While Madhu caters to the older generation, Pavni has a strong young adult following, which reflects in their different price ranges. “My dresses could cost from 4,000 to 6,000 baht for teenagers; for young adults it might be in the range of 10,000 to 12,000 baht while my most expensive design to date is about 70,000 baht,” she says. “That would be an average price for my mum’s collections so you can tell we have different clientele, although I would like to try to break into that market as well.” Pavni works to create pieces that are within her client’s budgets. Her designs combine Western wear with Indian details and definitely cater to a more urban, worldly young crowd. Although very different in their approach, clientele and styles, the two work well together; last year, the mother-daughter team supplied some dresses to a boutique in Kolkata and they are planning to do another collection in December.

Like the other boutiques in town, the materials they use are mostly from India. “Half of the embroidery is ready-made from India because it lowers the cost and the quality is better, but we also make new embroidery for clients that are our own unique designs,” Pavni explains. The boutique has a seamstress here who does hand sewing, as well as some freelance tailors. Pavni not only sells unique designs but also looks after her clients. “All clothes that I sell can be fixed and altered for life,” she says. She identifies a surge in ready-to-wear Indian outfits in Thailand: “The younger generation isn’t as comfortable with tailored clothes as the older generations; they prefer to try on their clothes right away.”

When asked where she gets her inspirations, she says she gets inspired by things she sees, places she visits and also by her moods. “There was a phase when my designs were strong and punk, but these days I use a lot of purples and pinks,” the young designer explains. The talented fashionista also says that Indian clothes are more fun than Western wear. “You can play around with a lot of colours. With Indian clothes you can pick two contrasting colours and mix them together by using embroidery and other details to make them go together.”

In Her Closet – Up close and personal with Phavini Kalra

Featured in online magazine “Lifestyle Asia” December 2008 issue. A personal encounter with the fabulous designer herself.

Extract from Magazine:

Phavini Kalra, the blooming young designer in Bangkok shares her experience in the fashion industry with Lifestyle. It feels good to have a dream but Phavini does not only have dreams, she actually makes it happen. Drawing the designs and making it a reality is definitely something we respect her for. Phavini is also one of the designers for the talked-about play, “Rendezvous with my Alter.”

How long did you spend making the clothes for the play Rendezvous with my Alter?

There are only a couple of pieces in the play that are actually made by me.
My role in this play is more of a stylist than of a dressmaker. I have basically put together outfits for every single character in every single scene down to the smallest detail.
For this project, unlike for others in which I have been able to simply follow all my whims and fancies, I had to understand the characters and then choose a look that suited their personalities. Naaz, played by Laksmi for example, lacks confidence in her appearance and in many aspects of her life.
Her clothing must reflect this and I thus chose to dress her in neutral colors and silhouettes that were bland and lacking femininity. Sam (played by Sonia) on the other hand, is flirty, happy and fun; her clothing choices convey this as well.
In essence, while I didn’t make most of the clothes in the production, it still took a while to plan their attires and acquire all the many pieces that were necessary to complete each and every look.

What inspires you to be a fashion designer?

I can’t quite pinpoint what it is that I am inspired by, but I do know that I am drawn to this naturally. When asked the question, “why designing?”, I always say that designing picked me, and not the other way round. I didn’t really have much of a say in this whole decision making process.
I tried not to do it; I tried to be the woman in an office working away at her computer every day, but I somehow couldn’t take the conventional route. One day, during the summer after my third year of University (where I studied economics), without even really thinking it through, I walked into Raffles, looked at the sewing machines and mannequins and the masses of fabric everywhere, and I decided to enroll there.
Usually, I am a relentless over-analyzer, but in this case, it was so quick and spontaneous that I felt like it really did come from somewhere else. If asked what inspires my designs, I would say anything and everything – every road sign, every garbage bag, every painting, every song, every smell, my every mood, the rain, the sun, the grass, the texture of wood, just feelings around me…

Tell us a little bit about your collection

My latest collection for my label “Pavni”, which is really just my Indian name, is about ethnic clothing that is practical and aesthetically pleasing to the urban modern woman of today who lives in jeans and if necessary, work-clothes, and wears Indian clothes mostly just for special or religious occasions. The clothes have strong western influences but they remain Indian at heart.
My newest look is all about extremes – extremely traditional Indian elements mixed with extremely un-Indian prints or fabrics, or extremely hard and structured looks juxtaposed by really soft and flowing elements.

Do you have any favorite piece from your collection, if so, which one and why?

I don’t have a favorite piece because I actually love every single outfit. All the creations are extremely different and reflect the many sides of my personality. The racks are full of traditional Indian garments as well as completely Western-looking outfits, young hip creations and mature sophisticated looks, colorful vibrant suits hung beside subtle low-key pieces, etc.
To pick one outfit that is my favorite would be like picking one part of my personality that I like more than the other and that just cannot be done!

If you could pick an icon to wear your clothes right now who would it be and why?

My clothes are for women who are intelligent, confident, stylish, and comfortable in their skin. Their look is casual but full of personality. They enjoy being beautiful but are not obsessed with beauty.
They work hard, play hard, love life and know their priorities be it their career, their children, their various passions, etc. They are balanced and secure. My clothes are also meant to be accessible while being unique and classy. I am not a fan of snob appeal.
For this reason, if I had to pick icons, I’d say strong, smart and beautiful women like Sushmita Sen, Natalie Portman, Lara Dutta and Cameron Diaz.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Wherever life takes me, I’m going to say that I just hope that wherever I am, I’m happy.

 Phavini Kalra

Featured in the famous BK magazine October 2008 issue. Another personal encounter with the fabulous designer herself.

Extract from Magazine:

Phavini Kalra has launched her first collection of unique Indian wear, Diwali ‘08, just in time for ladies to get themselves a traditional outfit to celebrate the Indian New Year.

Tell us about your label.
My label, which is really just my Indian name, Pavni, is about ethnic clothing that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing to today’s urban woman. Normally, she lives in jeans and work clothes, and only wears Indian clothes for special occasions. The clothes have strong western influences but they remain Indian at heart. I named it Pavni not just because it’s my name, but because Pavni means pure and I strive to keep my clothes pure. I don’t want to just follow fads so I try to put a little bit of me into every piece. I firmly believe that the honesty with which the outfits are created can actually make a difference to the wearer.