Inclined in art and a keen fashion enthusiast, Varsha pursued her career in fashion, starting off with her foundation in art and design at London College of Fashion followed by studying fashion design at Istituto Marangoni, Milano. After graduation, she came back and worked as a head designer at a womenswear label for two years, and her family business in linen for a year. She also freelanced with various graphic projects, launched her design company and has now launched her own label in luxury womenswear. Here’s a profile of the young achiever by Baishali exclusively for Different Truths.

It all started when she was only a 4-year- old girl. All her Barbies got all dolled up in outfits made from bits of lace, handkerchiefs, beads and pearls found in and around the house. Behind this sartorial ingenuity was Varsha Wadhwa, a kid with inherent insight in fashion. A few more years and Varsha, was happily dressing her high school friends for prom. Zipping forward to 2016, she launched her label, incorporating her name Varsha Wadhwa in it, on June 22, in Kolkata with a conceptual installation launch. “The whole idea was to offer more than just fashion, instead to give a whole sense of the brand, appealing to all the five senses,” enthuses the young designer from Kolkata, whose personal style is very classic and minimal with embellishments and accessories.

Always inclined in art and a keen fashion enthusiast, Varsha pursued her career in fashion, starting off with her foundation in art and design at London College of Fashion, in 2007, followed by studying fashion design (specialising in womenswear) at Istituto Marangoni, Milano, in 2010. After graduation, she came back and worked as a head designer at a womenswear label for two years, and then with her family business in linen for a year. She also freelanced with various graphic projects, and launched her design company, which offered graphics for website/animated videos/invites/stationery, etc.

However, her true calling was always fashion and after attending a short course, in 2015, at Marangoni, Milan, in Fashion Business, Varsha decided that it was time to launch her own clothing line.

The launch event of her brand at 85 Lansdowne in Kolkata was not just a fashion label, but genuinely appealed to people who wanted not to buy just clothes but an experience as well. Varsha’s capsule collection has primarily western-wear – dresses, tops, skirts, jackets, gowns, and also indo-western wear. It is mostly about what one could wear day-night, formally, and is endowed with its clean cuts and strategic embellishments. At Varsha’s you will get something for every woman aged between 18-68 years. From a timeless cut work chiffon Saree with a pearl blouse for the grandmother to a double hued neoprene mullet skirt for the young college girl – the repertoire is rich and varied.  “My luxury womenswear is all about femininity, freshness and vibrancy. My brand is an extension of my personality and my idea of fashion is delineated inch by inch into these ensembles. I have kept my designs understated and easy to wear, while making them stylish and luxurious,” enumerates Varsha, who is deeply inspired by the Italian style of dressing.

With the mother as a business partner together with her own investment, funds are not an issue for this 27-year- old entrepreneur. She is rather focused on her brand promotion. “A lot of different fun events to promote the brand are in the pipeline. Social media is another area I am very enthusiastic about. My products and styling, showcased through posts on Facebook and Instagram, are doing the talking for my brand. There have been a lot of enquiries and positive reviews which eventually turned into sales and opportunities,” informs the fashionista, who loves shopping in Milan and Miami.

A little sceptic about the mushrooming of fashion stores, Varsha says, “Though it has now become easier to be there, but to be noticed is not at all a cake walk.” A real eager beaver who is always ready to go the extra mile, Varsha also believes in doing it big in life. With the Kolkata store up and running, she has her eyes set at a couple of stores the major cities of the world, being showcased at fashion week, and do costumes for films.

“I think I always knew I wanted to dress people and make them look the best version of themselves,” she states with confidence.

Wind in her sails!

©Baishali Mukherjee

Pix sourced by author.

Baishali Mukherjee

A writer and journalist for last six years, Baishali works with Education World, as its correspondent (Kolkata). She freelances with other media houses, individuals and organisations. In the last five years, she has worked in several verticals. These include web content development, translating research papers, book writing and speech writing. Baishali has worked as a content head for three books. Her articles and features have been published in leading publications.

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