Did you know a Hooghly designer designed Queen Camilla’s gown at King's Coronation?
Everything ‘royal’ still brings up a lot of enthusiasm across the globe and though King Charles III’s Coronation as the King is just over in England, the stories around it have not ended yet. One such incredible story is linked to a non-descript village of the Hooghly district of West Bengal, and the centre of attention is none other than the young designer Priyanka Mallick. The rose-centred red dress and a designed butterfly brooch which she made for Camilla, the Queen Consort, and King Charles III won appreciation from the royal couple.
Priyanka is in the seventh heaven right now. She had designed these and sent them to Britain. Unexpectedly she heard back from Buckingham Palace, inviting her to attend the King's Coronation event a month back. And that was indeed news in a village where most people have no idea of what fashion designer means or even why Priyanka has suddenly turned so famous. And more so why England’s royal family has sent her a ‘Thank You’ note.
As Priyanka told the media: “I am fortunate and thrilled that my designs were selected for King Charles III and Queen`s Coronation ceremony held on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. But I could not attend though invited as I am recovering from an ailment. But I attended the ceremony virtually.” Since childhood, Priyanka was fascinated with designing and drawing and was fond of the dresses Queen Elizabeth wore. Later, her interest in fashion designing developed into an alluring art and after completing class XII, she virtually joined the international fashion designing courses and got recognition for her work.
She is just 29 years old and for a girl coming from a village, being a fashion designer is a distant dream. “It was an incredible feeling when I came to know that the queen and the king appreciated my designs of the dress and brooch. When I received the letter of appreciation, I was thrilled. One email or letter from Buckingham Palace means a lot more to me,” Mallick told PTI. She is a resident of Badinan village, some 12 km away from Singur railway station in Hooghly district. She had approached the representatives of the Royal family earlier and expressed her wish to design a dress for the Queen. She sent the design, and they liked it, following which she got a letter of appreciation.
After completing her class XII from Singur Golapmohini Girls Higher Secondary School, Priyanka graduated in fashion design from Milan University in Italy through online mode. She also completed her master’s from there. She won the International Fashion Designer Marathon in Milan, Italy in 2019, Fashion Stylist of the Year in Milan, Italy in 2020, and the Real Super Women Award in India in 2022. Her designs on the ‘Coronation Special’ will be soon launched on the British government website.
Her happiness is indeed palpable especially when she received a transcontinental e-mail cum appreciation letter straight from the United Kingdom, thanking her enough for designing a ‘butterfly brooch’ for His Majesty King Charles III. As her brother Rajesh Mallick puts in: “We are very happy with her progress. A village girl has reached Buckingham Palace. I myself received the [invitation] envelope. We always supported her and will continue to support her.” On the making of the dresses for the King and Queen, Priyanka said, “The dresses were stitched locally with her inputs as she is in touch with London-based stylists and workers.” Indeed, it is a moment of pride for both Priyanka and all of us in Bengal, the state and city of Kolkata from where England had started their colonial rule and finally got dislodged. It is great to see that Bengal still holds sway in the international fashion arena.
