India, Dec. 19 -- What begins as a deeply personal need can, at times, rise into a revolution in art. Launched in 2012, Payal Khandwala's consciously crafted label was born not from a passing trend but from a gap she recognised in her own wardrobe and in the lives of many modern women. "I dressed a certain way - clothes that were less about fashion, anchored in personal style: easy separates, chic yet free-spirited, sustainable, rooted in craft but not overtly so, minimal and comfortable. It was a tall order. But no one was making such clothes, so I had no choice but to make them myself," she says.

Rejecting the prevailing maximalist Indian aesthetic, Payal set out to build a wardrobe defined by timelessness, functionality and artistic i...