Why Oscar de la Renta's Fernando Garcia loves Indian embroideries
Fernando Garcia, the co-creative director of Oscar de la Renta and Monse Maison, on what makes Indian artisans so special and his favourite form of embroidery
Fernando Garcia, the co-creative director of Oscar de la Renta and Monse Maison, was recently in India touring ateliers that help bring his ideas to life. In between the quick work trip, Garcia attended an intimate soiree in Mumbai, hosted by his longtime collaborator Gayatri Khanna of Milaaya Embroideries, and Nayntara Thacker and Jaya Raheja.
Milaaya Embroideries is a luxury atelier in Mumbai, which has worked with the brand Oscar de la Renta for close to a decade.
In a quick interview with Lounge, Garcia talks about his love for Indian embroideries, the decision to exit Oscar de la Renta soon, and more. Edited excerpts:
You've been vocal about your love for Indian embroideries. How do they inspire your work?
The constant need for me to see new textures that woven fabrics can never achieve is something insatiable. I fall in love with my work every single time I meet with Milaaya or a new vendor. It's impossible to achieve such fine embroidery work unless you're working with hands.
How can creative directors and heritage houses help sustain the age-old embroideries?
I've fallen in love with the one-of-a-kind hand embroidery that India can provide to the industry. I feel very lucky that I get to meet all these artisans and bring their work to the world.
Transparency is becoming extremely important for today's consumer. They want to know where their clothes come from…
I don't think that we live in a world where that is an issue anymore. I actually think that there is more transparency with social media, and communicating where things come from creates a little bit more sincerity and connection to your client.
You are leaving Oscar de la Renta soon. What's next?
I am excited. I'm looking forward to next year. We are working on our final two collections, but I don't see them as the “last" two collections since we are going to be a part of the board of the company. We will be helping in any way, shape, possible. We have a team that we have been helping for a very long time. And I feel that the company is in great hands with the team that is there.
What change do you think the recent wave of creative director reshuffles will bring to the fashion industry?
There is a constant need for innovation. I don't know if it's the necessary formula for every single house, but I think that for us, it was important to make sure that Monse grows and we have a very prolific team at Oscar (de la Renta) that can carry it into the next chapter.
Any Indian embroidery you particularly like a lot?
Bugle bead (embroidery). It is just something that I would never not use every season. I don't know why I love the mirror energy that it has and the weight it has; it feels expensive every time no matter what the season is. And it's a nice reliable source of beauty. I actually think that we just create our own fabrics with the textures that we do here. Even thread work from India is like a new fabric to me.
topics
