We were lucky to catch up with Shivangi Gandhi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shivangi, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is the collection I created for my label called ‘Heal’

Since I started my label during COVID, the second collection came about when the world was on a journey toward healing, from the virus and the lockdown had led to Mother Nature healing itself. The state of affairs at the time inspired me to create something more that symbolized this deeply. I wanted to find a way my designs could make a small difference and it touches the lives of people who create the garments. We found women who create patchwork fabric by hand from their homes to feed their families and are sometimes sole breadwinners. We created patchwork from deadstock fabric found in factories. We brought these women on board this project to create the patchwork fabric used in the entire collection. The fabric symbolizes the process of taking something old and refurbishing it into a new better version of itself. It was a tangible expression of the mental and physical healing of humanity.

We tried to touch on various aspects of sustainability through this collection most importantly slow process and fair wages for the garment workers.
This had been the most heartwarming collection I had created since I got to experience a small part of the lives of people who are a big part of the process and I was able to create a product that truly embodied ‘slow fashion made with love’

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Fashion design has been a dream of mine since the age of 10, I started my journey in fashion through formal education in the field of design and pattern making. While in university, I got my first design internship in the second year and this was how I got my foot in the door in the Industry. Since then I have been consistent with my goals and am lucky enough to make a wonderful career in an artistic field of work.

My journey through both womenswear and menswear design has led to me eventually deciding on two parallels for myself, I launched a sustainable androgynous clothing label online and I also worked in the fashion styling industry. I worked in the UAE and GCC for the largest part of my career, along with about 3 years in India.

During my time in India I launched my clothing line we were able to produce two collections and have our clothing stocked in New York and London exhibits. Shivangi A Gandhi is the sustainable clothing brainchild I have created I plan to bring to the UAE market shortly. We are a brand that is catering to a clientele that is sustainability enthusiast or open to learning and understanding the brand ethos. We aim to create a community-driven fashion business that is serving the good of the environment and helping the people involved in the creation process. The brand is focused on client inclusivity in all forms, may it be color, age, race, and body type, the largest issue faced by most online shoppers. We are committed to providing customized clothing based on requests for specific body types who find it difficult to shop online. In this manner, we also try to control the problem of overproduction and dead stock.

As a stylist, I have chosen to go down the path of styling from Film, TVC, celebrity, and personal, commercial, and editorial content. My most recent project is a feature film I completed as the Head of Wardrobe and Costume Designer. My styling career started in film in 2018 as a wardrobe styling assistant and since then this has been exciting. Styling is another avenue of the fashion industry I am very passionate about and it is essential to visual content.

As a stylist, I am looking to make a difference to the projects and the people I land my expertise to, by making them feel better about who they are, feel comfortable in their skin, create visual imagery that makes people watching feel more confident in themselves by seeing the likes of them being represented in the best light.

I am the most proud of being a woman of color who believed that any form of art can be a turned into career with consistency, and perseverance. Knowing that it is not an easy road but one full of exciting challenges and a lot of personal growth is a big part of navigating your career as a fashion professional.

I will conclude by saying as a designer and a stylist my only goal is to find clients who resonate with my work and provide them with value for their time and money invested into creating with me. I believe in creating work that leaves a lasting impression with someone whose life I have touched artistically.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The one thing constantly driving me is the bigger picture, the industry I chose to work in 10 years ago is relatively infant in both the regions I belong to. This was not popular knowledge to me when I started my journey in the field, through the years I have seen a very clear lack of representation of the South Asian community on global platforms in Western fashion. This is very slowly changing in the current years but my mission is to break barriers in fashion and create a pathway and a space for more people like me to have avenues to grow.

Another long-term goal for me to continue pursuing and believing in my creative journey is eventually teaching other young professionals that there is a way to monetize and create a business from your art if you approach it in the right manner. I am also passionate about teaching students who may not have the monetary capacity to learn at expensive schools and eventually want to redirect my journey in that direction.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Artists mostly operate from a space of deep emotional states, this process of creation being able to resonate with other human beings who buy into your idea is a real boon. Compelling people to think outside the box, opening their minds, and having the ability to cause real change in the right direction is the power art possesses, this is truly the gift of any artist. Expressing who you are through creation and igniting emotion and value is the most rewarding part of being an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: shivangiagandhi.com | styledbyshivangi.com
• Instagram: shivangi.a.gandhi | styledbyshivangi
• Linkedin: Shivangi Gandhi

Image Credits
Photographers Nihar Shah Saurav Rath Dhruvin Shah Models: Alisha Khushi Shivangi Tarun Nathani Preet Rawat Nidhi Prateek