#MasalaExclusive: Commemorating 15 years of Falguni Shane Peacock in the global fashion industry

In a heartfelt and honest Q&A session with Masala!’s Editor, the couple answer a few questions in honour of completing 15 years in the Indian and global fashion industry.

The world of fashion is vast, competitive and constantly evolving. Amidst the chaos, creating a brand with a unique identity and sustaining it in the longer run, is an important principle a brand needs to adopt it it’s early stages. Consistent innovation, experimentation and faith in your design ideology are what designers Falguni Peacock and Shane Peacock place their bets on. In a heartfelt and honest Q&A session with Masala!’s Editor, the couple answer a few questions in honour of completing 15 years in the Indian and global fashion industry.

Masala: Why is the Falguni Shane Peacock couture aspirational? F&S: “Amalgamating western aesthetics in traditional Indian wear has always been our (combined) forte. It is the element of modern and contemporary that we blend seamlessly into our couture that makes Falguni Shane Peacock as any aspirational luxury couture label.”

Masala: Who is an FSP woman? What do you idealize your target consumer to be like? F&S: “An FSP woman embodies the core DNA of the brand i.e. she is fearless to experiment and play with her personality, strong enough to carry a never-seen-before look, and positively sparks a trend with the exquisite couture created for her. She is also someone who is a decision-maker and has an opinion of her own.”

Masala: You’ve now dressed almost all of Bollywood. Who is your favourite celebrity to dress? It can be more than one! F&S: “Honestly, every outfit that we’ve created is unique, befitting the celebrity’s personality — but some of our favourite celebrities are Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Ananya Panday and Shraddha Kapoor, and more.”

Masala: Will you ever expand to the UAE? F&S: “After India, if there’s any country we have bridal enquiries pouring in, it is the UAE. We have toyed around with the idea of setting up a full-fledged base there and it is there in our business plan. We are working towards it!”

Masala: Do you, as a fashion designer, sometimes feel that you started the feathers trend within Indian wear? F&S: “Yes, we have been the first ones to use the feathers in Indian couture. We have used the feathers in our Western wear as it is a part of the brand’s DNA and then introduced it to accentuate the bridal Indian couture. Before that the concept/idea was unheard of. We remember, when we first ideated about having feathers on the ensembles, we were given looks like it was something alien we spoke about. But deep down, we knew that no matter how bizarre this might sound, it will be ground-breaking. And the rest you know is history.”

Masala: What have you learnt about the Indian consumer market after 15 years of thriving in the industry? F&S: “We’ve learned that people love an experience and the whole feeling of luxury instead of just the product.”

“Success is often measured at its peak, but the real assessment of it can only be estimated through the journey…” Falguni

“Success is often measured at its peak, but the real assessment of it can only be estimated through the journey…”

Masala: When you design a garment for your brand, is there a basic direction you take for all of them in common? Maybe a motif or a thought process? F&S: “We are often inspired by our travels, history, and the architecture we come across whenever travelling or even otherwise. Visiting various palaces, forts and monuments is something that we take out time for and then look at every detail up and close to understand the story that it narrates. We take this inspiration and get into the process of creating a collection that is an ode to it.“