Fashion is elegant and luxurious, but add sustainability to it and that is how you will see Sanyukta Shrestha’s designs. Her recent walk of fame was during the red carpet of the Hollywood movie, Top Gun: Maverick, where Egyptian/Swiss actress Yasmina El-Abd wore one of her sustainable gowns at the event, where she joined Hollywood actor and lead of the movie Tom Cruise and his co-stars joined British Prince William and Princess Kate.

“It felt surreal, but I was proud to represent Nepal and Britain while promoting sustainable fashion and women empowerment through my dresses.”

As glamorous and glitzy as the events can be, it is no less than a dream to walk the red carpet on such a big event. So how did designer Sanyukta Shrestha reach the new heights of her career, taking Nepal to the international platform?

Opening new doors
Whereas people choose their career, Shrestha says it always felt like somehow it was fashion that chose her. “I never dreamt of becoming a designer. I believe the day I joined the fashion design class was the breakthrough point of my career. And, in the early years, after winning an award for the first creation I designed, it opened new doors for me into the fashion world.”

After that, she has not looked back and has left her mark in a lot of places. Whether it is being awarded the best design award in 1998 in Nepal or titled best perfect wedding newcomer award 2011 in the UK, everything helped her start big.

Sanyukta Shrestha did not stop there and went ahead to be awarded for her designs, the Bridal Innovation award 2011 (International) and the British bridal designer of the year 2019. Her recent awards include being the winner of wedding boutique of the Year 2020 in the UK; Good Brand Award 2020, and PETA Vegan Wedding Award 2021.

“Every award and accolades are momentous, but I always recall when one of my sustainable creations was inducted into the Fashion Museum in Bath, UK, in 2012. It was a proud moment being the first Nepali designer to have my design curated and preserved in one of the world’s greatest fashion museums.”

Sanyukta Shrestha is one of the few Nepali fashion designers who have made their name on international platforms. She shares, “I am so happy to see artists and designers from the Nepali fashion and entertainment industry getting international recognition. It is certainly a great achievement for our country. But, we should keep the creativity consistent and keep pushing the boundaries to take Nepal to new international heights.”

Not just in the international scene, Sanyukta Shrestha is quite versed in what is happening within the Nepali fashion industry as well, where she sees a lot of potential. “I have seen a quite impressive development in the fashion industry in Nepal recently. However, there is a lot of work to do towards the sustainable aspects of the Nepali fashion scenario. Nevertheless, as our country Nepal is gifted with an abundance of natural resources and artisans’ skills, they should be best utilised, promoted and protected.”