A wedding outfit can carry generations of history and still leave room for a bride’s own point of view. For Payal Jain, that possibility makes designing for weddings particularly compelling today. She sees women paying closer attention to how clothes feel and move, choosing embellishment more deliberately and bringing inherited pieces into wardrobes that reflect their lives.
Her approach begins with the textile. Across more than three decades in fashion, Jain has worked with weaving, block printing, resist-dyeing and embroidery, developing an understanding of craft that informs both her clothes and her sculptures. Her latest collection draws on the dressing traditions and visual culture of Kutch. Elsewhere, fabric remnants accumulated over years find new expression in her textile art series, Soul of a Woman.
In conversation with Manifest, Payal reflects on the changing bridal wardrobe, why grandeur need not depend on excess, and the creative freedom of taking fabric beyond the body.
Manifest: What inspired your latest collection, and what feels new this time?
Payal Jain (PJ): My latest collection is inspired by the lifestyle, attire and visual culture of the tribal communities of Kutch. Over the past year, I have spent considerable time exploring the relationship between the region’s people, their environment and the textiles intrinsic to their identity.
I developed prints, weaves and embroideries with master weavers, block printers from Ajrakhpur, Bandhani experts and embroidery clusters across Kutch. Each textile reflects a sensitivity to the craft’s traditions, colours and character.
The contemporary expression comes through silhouette, proportion, colour and construction. I wanted to retain the character of Kutchi textiles and dressing while creating pieces relevant to how women dress today.
M: How has your design sensibility evolved over three decades?
PJ: It has evolved from an instinctive love for beauty and craftsmanship to a more nuanced understanding of form, proportion and detail. I am less driven by making a statement and more interested in the subtleties of design: the interplay of structure and fluidity, textures and the way a garment moves.
My appreciation for craftsmanship has deepened, but so has my understanding of restraint. Knowing what to leave out is often as important as knowing what to put in.
There is greater clarity in my choices now. I trust my instincts more and feel comfortable with my own point of view. That freedom has made designing all the more rewarding.
M: What did you want to communicate through your work at the World of Threads Festival?
PJ: I presented Black Rose and Moonlit, two textile sculptures from my series Soul of a Woman. Both came from a desire to explore textiles as a medium in their own right.
I used repurposed fabrics and remnants accumulated over decades, alongside cords, yarns, beads, mirrors, sequins and shells. Through wrapping, binding, knotting, coiling and layering, I allowed the materials to guide the form.
The sensitivity to material, intricacy of handwork and patience involved in making something by hand are deeply ingrained in my practice. These works explored those sensibilities without referring to one particular Indian craft tradition. Indian textile traditions are extraordinarily rich, and their possibilities extend well beyond the garment.
M: What drew you to exploring corsetry, drape and embroidery as sculptural elements?
PJ: Textile sculpture felt like a natural extension of my practice. I have always been interested in how corsetry shapes the body, how drape creates movement and how embroidery alters a textile’s character.
Separating these elements from the body opened up different possibilities. Corsetry could become structure, drape could become volume, and embroidery could become integral to the form.
There was also a desire to move beyond fashion’s seasonal and commercial framework and give greater attention to material, process and construction. Sculpture allows me to pursue ideas that don’t necessarily need to become wearable pieces.
M: How do you reinterpret traditional Indian crafts for today’s bride?
PJ: The key is understanding a craft deeply enough to reinterpret it without losing what makes it special. The intention is to explore how it can work with a different sensibility, silhouette or combination of materials.
Today’s bride may appreciate intricate handwork but want to wear it in a less predictable way. That creates opportunities to rethink its placement, its extent and its relationship with the garment.
Traditional craft doesn’t always need a traditional treatment. A shift in proportion, an unexpected placement of embroidery or a different approach to colour can change a garment’s character. The challenge is to give craft a context relevant to the woman wearing it.
M: What does the Payal Jain bride want today?
PJ: She has a clear sense of her style and is more discerning about silhouette, colour, fabric and how a garment feels. She wants something that reflects her personality.
I have seen greater openness to lighter constructions, versatile silhouettes and thoughtful embellishment. Drama might come through a beautifully developed textile, an interesting cut or a detail that reveals itself gradually.
Brides also want their wedding outfits to have a legacy. They are repurposing their mother’s or grandmother’s bridal pieces, weaving their preferences into them. Those emotions, histories and memories help shape their trousseaux. Tradition remains important, but its expression is becoming more individual.
M: Are brides moving away from maximalism towards simpler looks?
PJ: There is a shift, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a move towards minimalism. Bridal grandeur isn’t going to disappear. What is changing is how brides express it.
They are looking beyond heavy embellishment to consider textiles, construction and finer details. They are also more confident about choices that don’t fit conventional ideas of bridal dressing.
Simplicity can require just as much thought in the cut, construction and finish. I believe embellishment needs a reason to be there. When every element competes for attention, subtleties get lost. The most interesting bridal looks are those where the choices feel deliberate.
M: How is a wedding wardrobe spanning saris, lehengas, gowns and jumpsuits changing your approach?
PJ: The boundaries around what a bride wears for each function have become more fluid. Each look can reflect a different aspect of her personality, allowing us to approach it as an individual design.
A sari offers different possibilities for drape and movement from a structured lehenga or gown. The challenge is to understand each form and bring something distinctive to it.
This encourages experimentation with textiles, draping and surface ornamentation. Traditional embroidery can sit beautifully on a contemporary silhouette, while sculptural construction offers a fresh perspective. Each outfit must stand on its own while belonging to the same woman. The clothes need to move with her and the occasion.
M: Which wedding fashion directions interest you, and what can brides reconsider?
PJ: I enjoy experimentation with draping, blouse construction and texture. Corset-inspired blouses with saris, sculptural sleeves, fluid pre-draped saris and architectural lehengas are interesting directions.
Colour offers room for individuality too. Alongside traditional bridal shades, I enjoy deeper wines, muted metallics, soft pastels and unexpected combinations.
I would be cautious about over-coordinating every aspect of the wedding wardrobe. When everything follows the same aesthetic, there can be little room for personality.
Maximalism or minimalism isn’t the question. A heavily embroidered lehenga can be as compelling as an understated sari. What matters is the thought behind it.
M: What comes next for your practice?
PJ: I see my practice expanding in different directions. My exploration of material and form through couture continues to inform my textile art. Looking at fabric for its structure, texture and sculptural potential lets me revisit familiar techniques with different questions.
My book, Soul of a Woman, is scheduled for release in early 2027. It brings together a deeply personal body of work exploring the female form, identity and expression through textiles, documenting the thinking and processes behind it.
Couture, textile art and the book share an ongoing curiosity about materials, form and the ideas they communicate. I want to follow that curiosity without fitting it into one category.