꒰୨୧◞ 。mahi⠀.ᐟ

NADINEEEEEEE I LOVE YOUUUUU

"a dress is a piece of ephemeral architecture."

°❀.ೃ࿔* the house of schiaparelli, under the leadership of CEO amatore schiaparelli, has announced a new creative director in the fall of 1981 to launch its return to haute couture. the young prodigy varisha roy is to lead the house to its renewal, with sole creative control over every aspect of the house. a graduate of école de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne (the fashion school of such luminaries such as yves saint laurent), varisha launched her career studying under the designer pierre cardin before being recruited as the creative director for cristobal balenciaga. with this she became the youngest couturier ever at just 20. currently, at the age of 23, she will be one of the youngest creative directors in the world. the house of schiaparelli welcomes and embraces varisha, and is excited to move forward embracing the rich history of the house to craft the next chapter of the atelier.

q: varisha, what would you describe as your "design philosophy?"

𑣲⋆ i believe clothes allow us to present the version of ourselves we aspire to. it's why trends move so quickly; we all want to be something new, different and unique. we want to be perfect, ideal versions of ourselves. my favourite novel is "madonna in a fur coat" by sabahattin ali; in that novel, ali says that life should be lived attuned to nature, finding a lifetime in every moment. in our current time, that's sort of the opposite of what we're doing; we project a facade of ourselves, constantly, every single day. the clever yuppie or the simple-minded laborer. the feisty career woman or the demure house wife. the troublesome rugrat or the well-behaved little angel. none of these are real, because humans are multifaceted. but we simplify ourselves. that's human nature. we don't really, ever know what we like and prefer, because we only ever make decisions based on what the world tells us. all decisions are reactionary; whether that be to follow the rules or to break them. clothes are a symbol of this— what we choose to wear is the first impression we want to see. as a couturier, i want to strip all that back and reveal to the world what we truly are; take what i see and put it into cloth. create a first impression that's true instead of a facade.

q: fascinating. what sort of a workspace would you want to create at schiaparelli?

𑣲⋆ calm. i am not someone who screams, shouts or throws a fuss. i think that's the impression a lot of people have of couturiers. but for me, that's simply not true. under pressure, like most, i tend to struggle. but i can never take it out on others. my father is a tailor and the calmest man i know. he's firm, disciplined, not a permissive man at all. but he was always calm, collected, and most of all patient. he gave us time, energy and all of his love in order to make us grow and become better people. that's the sort of environment i want to encourage at schiaparelli; a workspace that's organised, put together and composed. i want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable speaking their mind honestly and that nobody feels unsafe or unheard. fashion doesn't have to be painful or stressful, and frankly, some just use "couture" as an excuse to hurt others. i'm not that person, and i never will be. i believe that the best work environment is one that's positive for everyone involved. great art doesn't require suffering; and anyone who tells you that just wants to inflict suffering.

q: you have to pick one dress to describe your era of the house. which dress is it?

𑣲⋆ ough...decisions. there's, of course, the iconic lobster dress, the symbol of elsa's love of dada and surrealism. but i think the dress that describes my era of schiaparelli would be this brown coat that elsa created with an embroidered face, holding silver in its hands with gold in its hair. despite this, it's looking up at the sky. doesn't that just so utterly encapsulate what society us all about? and of course, the style of the garment is so art deco, which what i'm obsessed with, as a designer. i'm in love with embroidery, particularly utilizing gold and silver thread as they did in the '20s for that eye-catching effect. it just makes you stare, no matter where you are. elsa was all about that— and that's what i want to continue as i helm the label. eye-catching, bold, reinvigorating designs.

q: and finally, any plans for after schiaparelli?

𑣲⋆ hm...like the great YSL, i might just start my own label. well, it's not an if— i'm going to do it. it's just a matter of when, i suppose. to be honest, i am very burnt out as of now with how the industry runs. schiaparelli is my first experiment at a new way of working. if things work out here— which they have and will— i hope it'll make a greater change across the industry to the point that if i leave schiaparelli, i want to walk into a workplace exactly like it!

and that's varisha roy for vogue magazine!

you deserve kindness, love and peace, and you shouldn't feel guilty for shifting to a reality where you have that. it's not a cheat code, it's not being lazy, and you're not a bad person. you deserve good things! and you will have good things come to you, i promise.