It has not only creatively inspired her, but the life and lifestyle of the very industrious Sa Pa women have found its way into her routine. The designer has come up with a new collection that is inspired by the beautiful region of Sa Pa in Vietnam. “Beautifully and very stylishly dressed women from various tribes working tirelessly either on an embroidery piece or stitching a garment or weaving hemp against a picturesque silhouette of paddy fields is a common sight here. This inspired me to come up with a new collection,” she tells us.

The various aspects of the lives of the women from the ethnic minorities have been included in the collection. The collection focuses on natural dyes on natural fabrics. “The sustainable lifestyle, the beautiful workmanship, the mobility and fluidity of the garments and easy layering are the main inspirations that we have picked from the region. Techniques like hand batik, indigo dying, cording, pleating and basket weaves have been used in various forms in the garments and sarees,” says Anavila.

The designer says that she has always got a great response from clients in Chennai. «I do see a subtle shift in openness to trying new silhouettes and moving towards lighter simpler contemporary sarees.