Bengaluru girl wins int'l award

Mallika Gupta, a student from Bengaluru, has won the ‘Wallpaper Design Industry Brief based on Indian Cultural Heritage,’ contest.

This was an initiative by High House, a wallpaper design enterprise of UK-based Staffordshire University.

The award will be shared between Gupta, a student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and Joanna Mathias, a Staffordshire graduate, who is now working as a designer-maker in Stoke-on-Trent city. Another NIFT student, Roshni Vyam, was the first runner-up.

Mallika’s design, which was inspired by India’s rich colour palette of the cities of Rajasthan, was a blend of traditional and modern elements.

“My fashion and design sense has always persuaded me to take inspiration from traditional heritage, art and crafts, not only from the ones originated in India, but also from different parts of the world. It was my inclination towards conventional methods that made me participate in the India Collection Brief. I have never aspired for fame, but was always dedicated to make a mark and impact through my work, and winning the High House India Collection gave me that platform,” said the 22-year-old.

The two successful wallpaper designs of the High House India Collection will be put up for commercial production through crowd funding. The winners will not only get an opportunity to showcase their work and themselves as designers, but will also be collaborating with a Masters student at Staffordshire University during the commercialisation of the design. Moreover, should the designs become a commercial success there is potential for students to gain financial benefit.