For her final year of the Bachelor of Design (Fashion), Vihanga Sontam has been working on a women’s wear collection. Much of Vihanga’s inspiration comes from her rich Indian heritage. Her graduate collection is based on one of the short stories from the Mahabharata (one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India), which narrates the origin of the Ganges River. Her design aesthetic is influenced by a contextualization of the characters from this story.

Born in India, Vihanga’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection is greatly influenced by texture and colour. Raspberry pinks, sunny-bright mustard yellows and a stroke of copper-sulphate blues comprise her colour palette. Her passion towards natural fabrics drives her designs. Limitations in the availability of fabrics have pushed her to create her own textiles through hand weaving techniques. Issey Miyake has always inspired her to create wild silhouettes that put emphasis on the garment shape. This has encouraged Vihanga to explore the subtraction cutting technique by Julian Roberts, which is a key to her pattern making.

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it