Vinu Morais: a Seamstress, a Swiftie and an Artist!

This March Pulse is celebrating some incredibly talented and inspiring women. We spoke to Vinu Morais, an Artist and the Founder of Pani Kaju – a revolutionary clothing line that aims to tackle unsustainable clothing with their unique adjustable clothing!

1. Tell us 3 things about you that most people wouldn’t know.

So firstly, I am very particular about the way I look. My mom could sew, so I’d ask her to make things for me. However, since I was brought up in a conservative family, if I wanted something shorter or tighter, she’d make it longer and looser. That wasn’t working for me. Since I was so stubborn about the way I looked, I was like “I’m going to learn to sew myself!”

The second thing is that I’m a hardcore Taylor Swift fan.

The third; the most gruelling yet most rewarding thing I’ve done for myself is to work for myself. It’s gruelling because if you don’t set boundaries and advocate for yourself you’ll be crazily exhausted, but then again if you stumble across something good and keep working at it, the results will pay off immensely.

2. As a child, what sparked your passion to pursue a creative and artistic path?

I was always that kid who went everywhere with a drawing book. I’d just sit down and start drawing. I’d hang up all my art in my room to surround myself with beautiful things. Later on, I’d dress my cousins up and put on fashion shows and dance. The more I learnt about fashion the more I discovered that I’d never stop being fascinated by it.

3. Tell us about Vinu the artist. What do you explore through your art?

What draws me towards creating anything is the prospect of capturing and documenting beauty or even creating it if there isn’t any. I’m so drawn to beauty in all its forms. In terms of subject matter, I don’t just stick to portraits. I feel like I find beauty in a lot of things like stories, cultures and pictures.

4. Your art seems to feature a lot of warm tones, specifically reds, is there a reason for that?

Before you asked me, I don’t think I really noticed this about my art, but I think it’s because my favourite colour since I was little has always been red. I always find myself gravitating towards warm colours because I feel like I can’t relate to them unless they have warmth and intensity – it feels very personal to me.

5. What made you want to start your clothing line?

Since day one my end game has always been to have a clothing line. I started Pani Kaju when I noticed a gap in the market. If I cut a design for a size 6 and just tweaked it a bit, it didn’t just have to be for a size 6, it could fit a size 8 or 10. I thought that was great! Personally, I value inclusivity a lot being someone who’s very particular about the way I look. Women have many challenges in dressing the way they want or trying to be beautiful the way they want to. Having something nice that is going to fit them shouldn’t be an added challenge. I really wanted to build a brand that focused on making adjustable, size-friendly clothing. That’s why I centred my brand around this concept. Our bodies grow and change all the time. There are so many women that fit in between the sizes available, so I think it should be high time that women get clothes that fit them well.

6. What are some aspects of your creations that share a common theme? What is their significance?

Something that’s really important to me is having options. Another thing we do with our clothes is convertibility – it’s a really important concept for us. As an indecisive person, if I buy something and that one thing allows me to wear it in multiple different forms, that’s fantastic. It’s essentially like you’re buying one thing and getting five different looks out of it. That’s something that’s really important to me. Getting the luxury of having different options with what women buy will really open up the conversation of how sustainable those clothes are. If you can hold on to them longer, it definitely adds to their value in the long term.

7. What was your favourite collection to work on? And do you have an all-time favourite piece?

In all honesty, I think my favourite is our newest collection. It’s called the spice rack! It’s our most detailed collection yet. It was so much fun working with so many vibrant silks. My favourite piece would have to be one from my graduation collection. It was a floor length coat, and it had a woven neck that took two weeks to weave. It took me a total of three and a half weeks to make from scratch.

8. Do you have any advice for your fellow aspiring female artists, fashion designers and entrepreneurs?

I’d like to answer that question in three parts. For fellow artists I’d say keep making art even if it’s not for any financial gain. No one else perceives your reality the way that you do, so anything you make is worth something.

For fashion students I’d say really take your time learning and studying your craft. You have to keep practising and have patience. Then only will you be able to learn about what you can bring to the table.

For entrepreneurs, the main thing I’ve noticed is that their male counterparts feel like they belong and have a slight sense of entitlement. So, ladies take up space! Don’t apologise for anything.

9. What are your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself and your brand in the next 10 years?

Something I want to do in the immediate future is to expand to larger sizes. I want to make adjustable clothing from sizes 16 – 26, so plus-sized. We’ve only started recently, so that’s something I really want to do. We’re starting our website soon as well, so we can ship internationally. Art wise, I want to step outside of my comfort zone and create a lot more opportunities for artists, especially women.

 

Photography credits: Isa Asif Photography 

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