For Sheryl Pinto fashion designing began years ago as a child, long before she quite understood the meaning of it.
"As a little girl I always wanted to look different. I never approved of the dress styles that my mother made for me and my sister and would insist on giving my own style to the tailor to stitch," recalls Pinto. Her dolls also became first models. "I would collect the left over pieces of cloth from the dresses and stitch outfits for them," she reveals, adding that she also began maintaining a little sketchbook of her designs.
And thus it was almost a given that Pinto would choose fashion as a career, despite words of caution. "About 14-15 years ago, no one thought that fashion would be such a big thing today. In Goa, at least, making clothes was only going to a tailor and getting your clothes stitched. Not many were aware of the big fashion brands," she says. Even so, despite getting a good percentage at her tenth standard board exams and urgings from friends and some family people to take up Science, Pinto chose to opt for a vocational course in dressmaking and designing. at St. Andrews Higher Secondary - Vasco. "My parents have always been supportive of us sisters doing whatever we love. It was only a few other friends and family that weren't so sure that I was making the right choice," she says. Post her course, she shifted to Mumbai and did a diploma in fashion designing with JD's Institute of Fashion Technology. However, despite getting offers in Mumbai, Pinto chose to return to Goa post her diploma.
"One of the reasons I came back was that my dad was ill," she admits, However, even after that she never felt like going back. "Mumbai was too busy for me. Also, my heart belonged in Goa. Being a Goan, no matter where you are in the world, you always want to come back," she says. " Also, I wanted to do something for Goa."
She thus first began working at Sonali Design Salon in Vasco for three years following which she had the opportunity to work for renowned fashion designer Wendell Rodricks and went on to work with him for a good eight years.
Pinto then took a break to get married, following which she began helping her husband with his business. Yet, her love for fashion made her restless. "Everyone kept pushing me to start my own thing and finally I decided to take the leap," she admits. And on November 15 this year, Pinto threw open her fashion studio in her hometown of Vasco where she showcases prêt wear and bridal couture. Her love for Goa is evident in her inspiration for her collection too.
"My heart is very Goan and I couldn't go anywhere else for inspiration," she says with a smile. With Goa being a holiday destination, Pinto's collection is inspired by the beauty that you see around the state. The colour palettes are reminiscent of the pristine white churches, clear blue skies, bright green paddy fields, the gold shimmer of the sun kissing the sea and the subtle bling of the sea. "The collection is very flowly with easy wearable silhouttes, inspired by the breeze," she says. Apart from this she is also inspired by the works of Gianni Versace, Ellie Saab, Vera Wang, Oscar Da Re Lanta, Marc Jacobs & Alexander McQueen.
For the ensembles, she has opted to use blended fabrics like Venetian georgette, paper soft crepe and shimmering Lycra. A minimal use of scuba suede, soft leather and delicate lace are visible on the detailed work of the ready to wear line. "I don't use pure fabrics i.e pure satin, pure cotton etc as these are very difficult to maintain. For instance the dress has to be dry-cleaned each time. People don't want to do high maintenance. They also want something that is colour fast and wrinkle free," she explains.
Apart from this, she also does a lot of bridal wear with high quality lace, satin, tulle and embroidered fabrics. "I do custom wear, while the rest is ready to wear and comes in different designs, colours and sizes. I want to do more in bridal wear in the near future," she says.
And ever since opening, Pinto is happy with the good response that she has received. "As the studio is in a small village people kept telling me that there might be a problem with getting clients and it came to a point where I had almost given up on the idea of starting it. It felt like a challenge but I think when you do good work it all turns out okay," she says, adding that the only big challenge right now is that fabrics have to outsourced. "There are no weavers and no fabric which belongs to Goa except for the Kunbi weave. The textile industry in Goa is also really bad," she says.
But challenges aside, Pinto is happy with the way fashion is shaping up in Goa. "People today are fashionable and following trends and colours. You can see fashion everywhere even in the minutest details," she says.
