With only this weekend left for your last-minute shopping frenzy before the Pujas start, here is a list of six homegrown fashion labels and their offerings to help you sort out your shopping woes
Aparajita Banerjee’s label — Aparajita — has a Puja collection entirely focusing on couching art, hand paintings and contemporary art on garments. They are using abstract patterns and textures to make quirky and fun motifs. Every piece from the label is new and unique, and has stories with colours that would be a treat for the eye. These pieces are also comfortable with the soft touch of handloom fabrics. INR 1,500 onwards. Available online and in stores
Known for men’s ethnic wear, Sambaran Chaudhuri and Anirban Chowdhury’s Swayam have launched their women’s edit, which is boasting western, indo-western and ethnic outfits. The dresses, shirts, kurtas, light lehenga, capes, and saris have been made using khadi, cotton, chanderi, silk, organza and other handloom fabrics that are comfortable to wear in our tropical climate and also encourage our textile industry. One can find fine and intricate hand embroidery in the collection with festive colours like ivory, mustard, red, rust, charcoal, teal, and olive boasting the colour palette. INR 4,000 onwards. Available online or at their workshop.
Sohini Halder’s Renaisa completely focuses on handpainted wearable arts that are unique, vibrant and stand out even in a crowd. Their Puja collection, this year, consists of hand-painted batik art in silk and cotton. Each artwork is designed by Sohini herself and is then crafted into fabrics by their skilled batik artists. For this collection, they have used raw silk and cotton blend or pure mul mul cotton fabrics for these designs, and the designs are hand-painted. INR 1,690 onwards. Available online.
When the fashion industry is raving about handloom cottons and other hand-woven pieces, Sarmistha Biswas and Elora Deb’s Shoi Boutique have specifically focussed on handloom cotton, tussar, silk and fusion sari. The collection features a perfect balance between contemporary styling and the essence of aesthetics using hand-block prints, fabric painting and embroidery. They also have hand-block cotton punjabi for men with pre-stitched dhoti. Saris start at INR 1,200, Punjabi at INR 1,000 onwards, Blouse at INR 500. Available online and in store.
When it comes to buying clothes nowadays, we always keep in mind to go sustainable. At a time when sustainability is the core of fashion, homegrown label Svaha by Alo is making an effort to revive our age-old Indian handloom in a modern way. Designing and making clothes with 100% handwoven and handspun fabrics, especially khadi in festive tones, in both earthy as well as quirky tones, and hand embroidered motifs to enhance the pieces. They mostly make it a point to design anti-fit clothing, to make sure no one misses out on decking up most gorgeously. From kurtas to dresses, high streetwear to beachwear to skirt coords, they have it all in this festive edit. INR 2,100 onwards. Available online
We have always loved how soft jamdani saris feel against our skin, and Madhab Sarkar’s Threaded by Madhab took it a notch higher this year’s Puja. The collection boasts jamdani dresses, saris and blouses in blues, greens, and pastel shades, with geometric motifs. Madhab likes to play up with the necks and sleeves and the saris stand out with their threadwork borders. If you are looking to blend modernity with the softest of cotton and jamdani, this should be your go-to brand. INR 2,000 onwards. Available online.men’s wear on khadi cotton. quirky screen prints that can be paired with same prints on saree / kaftans . women’s sarees on cotton and chanderi, digital prints
This Puja, Anindita Chattopadhyay with her brand Alora will give the essence of the bylanes of Benaras through their collection of Benarasi sarees, the smell of Bengal through the heritage Jamdani sarees to modern vibes through varied handprinted ajrakh kaftan dresses. INR 999 onwards. Available online and at the stores.
Kakali Biswas's Dora By Phoenix has menswear boasting of screen prints on khadi cotton for this Durga puja, which can be paired with the same prints on saree or kaftans. There are also women’s sarees on cotton and Chanderi, amped by by nature-inspired digital prints on offer. Available online and in stores. INR 3000 onwards.