A relatively new label from Pune caught our attention when we walked into a pop-up at a coffee shop recently. Intrigued by their range of saris and scarves, we proceeded to find out more about them. Titled House of Tamarind, the label is a collaboration between two graduates from Symbiosis Institute of Design and their Hyderabad-based mentor, Prriyadarshini. T Pooja Jain and Hrishikesh Nirgude reached out to their former professor, as all of them got along like a house on fire and had similar ideas in design aesthetics. “We were on the same page about giving Indian textile a makeover and a luxurious feel,” says Hrishikesh. They started working on the label in January 2018, and recently released their first collection called Flona, which can be ordered through their Instagram page, @houseoftamarind.
Octopus with hibiscus
The sheen of the fabric is what first attracts you to their ensembles. We later find out that Japanese Cupro Fabric that breathes like cotton and feels like silk has been used. “It is a sustainable substitute for silk and is made from cotton waste,” informs Pooja. Their aim with the whole-nine-yards is to debunk the norms of how they should be worn. “We wanted to make saris for the restless millennials. We have done away with the border and the pallu with the help of playful placement of the motifs,” says Prriyadarshini adding, “Drape it the way you want and let it take the shape of your form. What also sets them apart is the usage of age-old Indonesian craft of Batik, which manifests beautifully in a range of saris. The motifs fall on the shoulders and pleats and they come in youthful hues like Dark Purple and yellow (`14,900 onwards). For instance, on their ensembles, you can spot a phantasmagorical figure like chrysanthemums merged with jellyfish or octopus with hibiscus. Apart from saris, the ladies can expect to pick up scarves to jazz up their day-to-day look.
Pastels for party-goers
In Flona, pastels have transcended from the women’s range to the men’s line as well. On sale are lounge-wear shirts for men with a distinct resort-wear vibe to it. Similar dramatic motifs exist here as well. The base colours used are mostly mauve pink, greyish blue, mint.
Available online.
Starts at Rs 2,750 for stoles.