Over the past 25 years, Chennai-based Geetha Vishwanathan has established a reputation as a couturier and image consultant. Her special skill is to blend indigenous textiles with contemporary design to create stunning outfits with global appeal.
The proprietrix of Preyasi, a well-known fashion design studio in Chennai; founder-president of Marketing Organisation of Women Entrepreneurs (MOOWES, India); and managing director of the Srijathi Institute of Fashion Technology (SIFT) Chennai (est. 1990), Vishwanathan is in the advance guard of couture. Among the honours heaped upon her are: ‘Best Woman Entrepreneur of Tamil Nadu’ by the state government (1995), ‘Inter-national Award for Best Bridal Wear’ for Preyasi in London (1995), and most recently the Shiksha Bharathi Puraskar, awarded by the government of India on May 22 for outstanding contribution in fashion education for national development.
“I’m happy that the government has recognised my commitment to education. SIFT is a unique institution for developing fashion technology study programmes affordable to students from middle and lower income groups. Our aim is to encourage young entrepreneurs to promote neighbourhood ventures. To this end we provide quality hands-on training to our students and ensure that everyone is placed on completing her course. Most of my students become successful designers,” says Vishwanathan. An English postgraduate of ChhattisgarhUniversity with a fashion design diploma from the Apparel Leather Techniques (ALT) Training College, Bangalore, Vishwanathan is trained in the intricacies of native bathik, block printing, tie-die, zardosi, badla and aari embroidery. While traveling with her husband, a marketing manager of Binny Mills in the 1970s, she closely interacted with village artisans to perfect her art.
In 1982 she began her career as a designer in Kerala and after returning to Chennai in 1985, founded the Preyasi Design Studio in Nungambakkam. “Preyasi specialises in designing and marketing traditional sarees, Indian and Western outfits, and has an exclusive clientele for party and bridal wear in Western countries. Currently we have close to 5,000 clients in 60 countries,” she says.
Vishwanathan donned her profess-orial hat when she promoted SIFT, affiliated with the Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) in 1990. Today, SIFT offers a degree programme in apparel and fashion design, seven diploma courses and 20 certificate programmes in traditional arts and handicrafts, tailoring and pattern design to 20 selected students instructed by seven faculty. SIFT has also signed an agreement with Loyola Institute of Vocational Education to offer a course in fashion design, and is an approved fashion study centre of TNOU. “SIFT has tied up with several government and private institutions for fashion technology and design courses so that we can share their resources and infrastructure,” says Vishwanathan who has authored four books on fashion technology.
An icon of south India’s fashion industry, the indefatigable Vishwa-nathan plans to introduce two new diploma courses on how to set up a design studio and reach garments and textiles to market. “My goal is to showcase traditional Indian designs to the world and create awareness about quality talent available in India,” she says.
Fair winds!
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)