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EXCLUSIVE: Kresha Bajaj talks about Samantha’s recycled wedding outfit after divorce with Naga Chaitanya and her new collection
"It wasn’t about erasing the past...", said Kresha Bajaj in an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla while talking about remaking Samantha's wedding outfit and her new collection Aurelia.
Fashion designer Kresha Bajaj has launched her new collection, called 'Aurelia'. The collection reflects the concept of beauty trapped in stasis, a story held within every garment. In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Kresha Bajaj opened up on her experience of designing ‘Aurelia’, redesigning BFF Samantha Ruth Prabhu's wedding outfit, and more.
Q. ‘Aurelia’ collection reflects 'for someone who exists between the past and present' – Can you please elaborate on this?
Aurelia is a collection built on contrasts—romantic yet restrained, delicate yet defined. It’s for a woman who lives in the now but carries the stories of another time. The silhouettes, embroideries, and textures draw from an era that almost feels lost, but we reinterpret them for the modern woman—someone who isn’t nostalgic, but rather reverent. She doesn’t wear the past as a costume, she wears it as a memory, reimagined.
Q. How did you incorporate the timeless appeal of London’s Regency-era fashion, as inspired by a character like Miss Havisham from Great Expectations into your collection?
Miss Havisham’s character fascinated me—not in her heartbreak, but in her stillness. Her untouched world felt like a time capsule, suspended in lace and decay. I drew from that mood—layered tulle, crumbling silks, and beads that feel like they’ve lived a life before. The silhouettes nod to Regency shapes- empire lines, corseted waists, but softened and deconstructed, like heirlooms passed down and altered with time.
Q. With the popularity of Regency fashion through shows like Bridgerton, are we going to witness some similarities in your collection?
Bridgerton brought Regency fashion back into the cultural conversation, but Aurelia speaks a more intimate language. While you may see certain cues, structured bodices, puffed sleeves, or high waistlines, the treatment is quieter, less theatrical. For me, it's not about recreating the period, but about creating something that feels like it could have been part of it... or perhaps whispered through it.
Q. How expressionist do you think your collection Aurelia, would be from other fashion labels, who are ready to experiment and tweak the classic fashion picks?
Aurelia doesn’t just tweak the classics - it haunts them. It’s deeply emotional, almost cinematic in how it approaches storytelling through fabric. Each piece carries layers– of craftsmanship, reference, and intention. It’s less about trends and more about feeling. Where others might modernize a silhouette, we let it unravel a bit. There’s imperfection, rawness, and a softness that comes from restraint.
Q. You redesigned Samantha Ruth Prabhu's wedding outfit. Share with us your vision and her vision and how you carried forward the process, as there were emotions attached to it.
That piece was more than a garment—it was a memory stitched into something new. Samantha wanted to reclaim something deeply personal, and I felt honored to be part of that process. We kept the essence intact—the soul of the original outfit—but reimagined it with intention. It wasn’t about erasing the past but acknowledging it with grace and transforming it into something unique.
ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Samantha recycles her wedding gown; says, 'This dress has always been special'
