To me fashion is a form of art that that allows me to express myself and my designs speak for me. Infact, anyone in the creative field will tell you that it’s also very therapeutic and uplifting for your soul.

Hence, Limited Edition was born out of my passion to unleash my creativity.

Over the past two decades of my foray in fashion, I’ve seen the change in global trends and demand. And since fashion is a reflection of life and lifestyles, it’s only obvious that the current Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the fashion industry.

2020 started with a bucket of new visions and portrayals but we have seen the trends mitigating and gravitating towards sustainability and a stay at home, work from home approach to combat the current scenario.

As designers the global meltdowns, lockdown and subsequent loss of income in all sectors has led for us to seek new strategies of business for survival.

We have seen a cascading effect of this percolating in all walks of life.

Weddings being cancelled, smaller gatherings being advocated and people basically staying at home and being safe has led to a significant drop in the need to play dress up.

As a bridal couturier our main focus being on bridal trousseau and party wear embellished zardozi, heavy wedding lehengas have had no takers and this has definitely been a major setback.

Globally the designers and every other industry that was dependent on social occasions and requirement manufacturing has taken a browbeating.

Several businesses which were modelled out of pure passion and not necessarily based on business strong foundation have had to shut shop.

Across we have seen a magnitude of loss in income and the need to sustain and save.

But as always with every rain there is a rainbow. We have seen weeding happening with the weaker ones succumbing and the stronger resilient businesses surviving.

Fashion had become a saturated market where everyone was trying to be a designer and mediocrity was rampant in this scene to a large degree. This will bring into perspective how designers evolve and create new sustainability patterns.

It is refreshing to see how this calamity has shifted focus and made many designer houses more creative and get out of their comfort zone. People are getting really innovative in their approach and have now adapted an out of box thinking by creating new lines in fashion for the new post Covid world.

Limited Edition and many other designers have started designing from the comfort of their home. To meet this demand, we now have also introduced customised bespoke couture retainers called VIEL.

The response has been hugely overwhelming response and appreciated.

Fashion is resilient and we will survive this through an innovative approach.

The other positive of this is the focus has shifted for going vocal for local and atmanirbhar ideology.

• By Husna Sait, a Bangalore-based fashion designer.