Sparsha Deshpande from Margao has had an interesting
creative journey that took her from ballroom dancing to modelling to finally
displaying her own creations on the ramp through her fashion label. A household
name in the fashion industry, Sparsha graduated in Journalism from St Xavier’s
College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Mapusa and the proud Xaverite is
grateful for the opportunities the college gave her through various
competitions.
Sparsha was part of Extremers Dance Academy and was a
professional ballroom dancer when she joined college, winning numerous dance
competitions in the state and representing Goa at the national and
international level. “I was into Bollywood and Latin dancing and we were the
first Goan couple to represent India at Hong Kong in 2012. During the first
year of college, the third year students would organise a talent showdown for
the first year students where one could display their talent in music, singing,
dancing and even modelling. The same students would be later selected to
represent the college at various competitions across Goa and the country. I
enjoyed the experience and it gave me the confidence to take dancing and
modelling more seriously,” says Sparsha, who has modelled for noted fashion
designers in India.
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“Our lecturers were also very supportive of us and we would
be excused from class if we were participating in competitions. Through the competitions we got to interact
with different designers and models which lead me to modelling. Through the
modelling assignments, I was inspired to start designing my own clothes and
that’s what lead me to pursue it as a career,” she says.
Sparsha headed to International Institute of Fashion Design,
Mumbai, to study fashion designing after graduating from St Xavier’s. “After
practising at a fashion brand in Mumbai, I returned to Goa to launch my own
label, ‘Harini’, in November 2013 at the Abraxas Fashion & Design
Extravaganza 2013. I have also showcased my collection at fashion shows like
Goa Couture Fashion Week, Ladies Night at Grand Hyatt, and more recently, the
Grape Escapade where I introduced by new collection ‘Bling it Up’,” says
Sparsha who also choreographs fashion shows. She loves creating designs in Indo
Western style as she feels it connects to Goan culture.
Sparsha owns a boutique in Gogol, Margao. “My next project
will be for models as I want to organise a two-day intensive workshops for
models in the month of April. I have been giving modelling classes for the Miss
Navi Mumbai pageant for the past five years and I felt that it was time to
bring the concept to Goa in order to train Goan girls in modelling,” concludes
Sparsha who was awarded the third place at the Kingfisher Fashion Guru contest
for designers in Goa.
