A country of many different regions, India displays a panorama of diversity in many ways. Even the sari, the national dress for women, presents myriad differences in materials and styles. India has a long history of love for brilliant fabrics and the dazzling uses to which they are put. Old paintings, and ancient sculptures from before the Christian era show the costumes of long ago, and the bracelets, anklets and necklaces that people wore then.
India has had its own silk industry since very olden days. Embroidery too has been practiced since the distant past. In more recent times, a tradition of peasant embroidery, inset with tiny mirrored glass, has grown in popularity and appreciation. In eras of ruling opulence, a lavish use of gold and silver threaded into fabrics, and the stitching of pearls and precious stones to garments, produced breathtaking richness in effects. "My dream was to bring to the eyes of the world the fantastic skills in fabric craftsmanship that India has developed through thousands of years," said Shilpa Gandhi.
She is a young fashion designer from Bombay, the western seaport that claims to be the gateway to India. Bombay has long been a center of India's cotton and textile industries. Shilpa grew up absorbing the color and designs that were all around her. "Not many people know how beautiful our craftsmanship and fabrics are," she said. "I wanted to take this part of Indian culture into the world. I always had this dream."