Mumbai-based fashion designer Isha Khanna on making her debut at Paris Fashion Week

A model wearing the ‘Zip It’ dress that comes with an actual zip, which is a sarcastic nod to on how women are told to seal their lips

A designer who, up until a few years ago was unaware that there were fashion brands beyond Gucci and Prada, recently showcased her line alongside the big names at the most awaited fashion event of the world - Paris Fashion Week," says 20-year-old fashion designer Isha Khanna whose reel-series on her Fashion Week journey has gained over four million views on Instagram.

Khanna reveals her dream run, "It came through a programme by Global Fashion Incubator, which brings together students and independent designers to showcase on an international platform. As part of our graduation collection, we get to present a look at Graduate Runway, which is organised by Global Fashion Collective. It's essentially a platform created to promote and support emerging designers."

Now living in Mumbai, Khanna hails from Chandigarh. Growing up, she heard the usual lines that every girl gets told, "Don't wear crop tops" or "Don't wear short skirts". "So, when it came to my debut collection, I knew I had to revisit those instances," she says, "I've always been known for having a bold style - for lack of a better word, an ‘I-don't-give-a-s''t' vibe. That's the energy I wanted to bring to the collection."

Khanna decided to take back the power from those who tried to tell her what she can and cannot wear. Her line is an answer to the "haters", called Bite Me. She elaborates, "It's a response to patriarchy; to control women, and to everything women have had to hear. It's an unapologetic response. Whatever you're saying, my answer is ‘Bite me'!"

Khanna takes this to the next level by co-opting elements that women hear, by incorporating it into her design. "One of the dresses is called, Zip It. Women are often told that, isn't it? I took that wordplay and translated it into a garment. I made a dress made entirely out of zips. I used clothing items that are traditionally meant to cover us, but reworked them to give control back to women. Now, the same zip can be opened wherever you want - you can choose how much to reveal or conceal."

Isha Khanna matched her nails and tie to her design with lip motifs everywhere. Pics courtesy/Isha Khanna

The top is adorned with a set of bold, over-the-top lips. "My style is sarcastic, so I like to incorporate that into my design. The lips also had a zipper in between, like shutting people up." Khanna is equally keen to make a statement with her personal style. Her outfit for her show included lip motifs running throughout, with a leather tie embroidered with lips and matching nails.

She signs off, revealing her biggest takeaway. "My ideology is to empower women in an unapologetic, sassy, and not victimised way. We are not sad about the system. We can use the system against you if we want, and are smart enough to realise that."

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