City-based designer Nandhitha Ramesh opens her first flagship store, Merasal

Designer Nandhitha Ramesh takes a different route from her first venture of bridal couture by opening her first outlet with ready-to-wear clothing.​
City-based designer Nandhitha Ramesh opens her first flagship store, Merasal

Designer Nandhitha Ramesh takes a different route from her first venture of bridal couture by opening her first outlet with ready-to-wear clothing. The 1,000 sq ft store at Alwarpet takes her label name Merasal that was launched in 2015. While her other brand and store launched in 2011, Turquoise Design Studio,  at Besant Nagar, focused on creating saris and lehengas, the present one is more into Indo-Western and ethnic outfits. “My customers usually come with a specific fabric and design pattern. And I customise it according to their needs. But it was a time-consuming process of going back and forth.So I decided to launch a store with ready-made designs that cater to all age groups,” shares the 34-year-old Chennai-based designer. The interior décor of the store follows a colour scheme of blue and white and has about 300 pieces on display. 


For a change, instead of using bling colours, her usual palette, the two-week-old store will feature a refreshing mix of colours and some experimental silhouettes to offer for your summer wardrobe. The designer tells us that she has worked extensively with cotton, linen and khadi. To make it more interesting, she has played on motifs like butterflies, a cat with glasses, ice creams and umbrellas. “My fabrics are mainly sourced from Jaipur, and I have worked with a particular group of artisans from Hyderabad,” she adds.


Among the hot-selling pieces are the dhoti sari and skirt saris paired up with shirts. Coming from the textile hub of Tiruppur and a family with a fabric export business, Nandhitha has always been careful about her choice of fabric. Expect florals and abstracts in fabrics of organza and modal in her upcoming line. “I will be using more of foil prints but with pastel shades. Peplum tops and pleats with gatherings are the other trends that I am working on,” she shares. Her combination of Mughal prints in khadi and tussar are something you can look out for. The designer is also retailing her collection online and is participating in pop-ups.

Her next one will be the Lime Soda pop-up on April 11 and 12, at Buva House.

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