Péro is all set to launch its fall-winter 2025 collection, Bonnie, a journey that begins in the soul of the Sottish Highlands and finds its way to the loom-filled town of India. Here, the tartan is more than a textile: it is memory, kinship, and centuries of tradition, reimagined through péro’s unique artistry into contemporary silhouettes brimming with warmth and belonging.
From Kullu’s hand-knits and Afghan refugee artisans’ intricate crochet to Gujarat’s tie-and-dye grids, the tartan vocabulary is expanded with péro’s signature embellishment in beadwork, stumpwork, appliqué, woollen pom-poms, quilting, ruffles, pleating, and even semi-precious stones set into embroidery.
It is a collection of heirloom pieces that are both keepsakes and companions for the season.
We talk to Aneeth Arora, one of India’s most respected young designers and the creative mastermind behind péro, to get into the details of this fascinating journey.
What does Bonnie mean?
The name Bonnie came from the Scottish patterns we were working with this season. During my research, I discovered that Bonnie means “beautiful” in the Scottish language, and I thought it was the perfect name. It’s also used commonly in phrases like “life is bonnie,” meaning life is beautiful or life is good—and “he’s a bonnie lad,” meaning a good guy.
Was Scottish Highlands the starting point for this collection?
Not exactly. We’re very driven by textiles and textile patterns. Scottish tartans have always fascinated us. They also have parallels in India—like Majha stripes or other check patterns. The idea was to work with various weaving clusters across India to recreate and reinterpret tartan-inspired patterns.
I read that each tartan carries a story. How did you decide the colours and symbolism?
In Scotland, different clans have their own tartans, and they’re quite specific. But we didn’t want to directly mimic or adapt that cultural context. We were inspired by the geometric lines and the mix of colours—but we did our own interpretation of the patterns.
Which Indian textile techniques excited you the most during this process?
Tartan is essentially checks. In India, certain regions specialise in weaving checks—like Phulia in West Bengal, Maheshwar for cotton-silk checks, and southern clusters for silk checks. These places are experts in weaving checks, while others focus only on plain weaves. So we collaborated with artisans who specialise in checkered textiles—Phulia for cotton, Maheshwar for cotton-silk, and the weavers in Kullu, and Punjab for wool.
You’ve worked with artisans across India. Can you talk about the embroidery and beadwork?
Apart from woven textiles, we also worked with other techniques like tie-and-dye (Bandhej) from Gujarat. This is also the first time we used semi-precious stones on our embroideries because the jewel tones of the stones complemented our colour palette—deep greens, turquoises, blues, pinks, and indigos. So yes, it’s colourful, but in rich jewel tones.
You’ve collaborated with artisans from Kullu, Kutch and even Afghan refugee craft clusters. Any memorable story from this collection?
Yes, actually. Since it’s a winter collection, we do a lot of hand-knitted sweaters. This time we worked closely with hand-knitters in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. We knitted tartan-inspired check patterns into sweaters. Similarly, our crochet pieces—done by Afghan refugee artisans—were also reinterpreted with tartan-inspired motifs. We even experimented with resist dyeing on patterns, which felt like a reverse-bandhani technique. The results were surprising and very exciting.
Was there any challenge in translating tartan patterns into Indian textiles?
Honestly, our artisans are incredibly skilled. We’ve been working with them for 16 years, and every time we bring a new concept, they’re eager to try it. The challenge is never the creation—it’s fulfilling orders, since everything is handmade and artisans have their own seasonal cycles, festivals and harvest periods. But we’ve learned to work two years in advance, so now it’s manageable.
Is there a must-have piece for this fall/winter?
For me, the bandhani we’ve done on woollen fabrics is the highlight. It’s something new—we’ve never seen bandhani on wool tartan patterns. The outcome is stunning.
You experiment so much each season. Is there anything new you learned this time—either about Scottish or Indian craft?
Every season brings new learning. This time our research on Scottish clans and tartan histories was fascinating. And translating that into Indian craft involved plenty of trial and error—especially knitting tartan-inspired patterns. The learning was immense for both our design team and the artisans.
How long did it take for the full collection—from research to final pieces?
Every season takes about two years. We begin with two months of intense research, then weaving begins—and weaving takes a long time.
Your showcases are always magical—like stepping into a dreamland. How will you present this one?
We call it storytelling. Once the collection is ready, we think of fun ways to tell that story. For this season, we originally wanted to shoot in the mountains, but weather conditions didn’t allow it. So we created hand-painted backdrops inspired by the Scottish Highlands, and shot the campaign against them. We’ve also worked with a bagpipe band and will be releasing a film featuring music by Scottish musicians.
Price on request. Available online.
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
@ManuVipin
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