For Babita Malkani, fashion is as much about the stories we carry as the clothes we wear. With Meer Moti: The Sequel, the designer returns to a deeply personal source of inspiration: her mother’s collection of pearls, vintage buttons and little keepsakes gathered over a lifetime. Translated into fluid drapes, contemporary silhouettes and intricate handwork, these treasured fragments become a meditation on memory, loss and the beauty of holding on. She talks to Indulge about translating nostalgic references into designs as she makes a case for fashion that is meant to be cherished.
Blending nostalgia with contemporary fashion
What inspired Meer Moti: The Sequel, and how does it continue the story of the first collection?
This collection is deeply personal, it’s inspired by my mother, her style, her elegance, and the quiet but powerful influence she had on me as a designer. After I lost her, I found myself going through her cupboards, drawers and old cookie boxes filled with tiny treasures she’d collected over a lifetime: pearls, vintage buttons, little objects whose significance I didn’t always know, but which she’d clearly loved enough to keep. Meer Moti: The Sequel continues that story, it’s a tribute to her, and to the art of collecting, keeping and holding on to beautiful things.
How did your mother’s collection of pearls, buttons and keepsakes influence the designs?
Everything in this collection stems from what I found in her things. The pearls, the buttons, the small trinkets—they weren’t just objects, they were fragments of her life and her taste. I wanted the collection to honour her instinct never to let go of something beautiful, so I translated those pieces, pearls, embellishment, and texture, into the silhouettes themselves.
How have you translated these nostalgic references into designs that feel contemporary?
I wanted the pieces to carry her spirit without feeling like a literal replica of the past. So the pearls, the beading, the handwork are all there, but set against clean, modern silhouettes, fluid draping and contemporary cuts. It’s about letting nostalgia and memory sit comfortably within something that feels current and wearable today.
The collection uses pearl ivory, moss green and burnished coral. What drew you to this colour palette?
These tones felt true to the mood of the collection, soft, warm and timeless, much like the objects that inspired it. Pearl ivory speaks to the pearls themselves, while moss green and burnished coral bring in depth and richness without ever overpowering the delicacy of the story we’re telling.
What role do handwork and craftsmanship play in bringing the collection to life?
Handwork is everything here. My mother’s treasures were all handmade or hand-collected in some way, so it felt right that the collection honour that through hand embellishment, intricate pearl detailing and hand-finished textures. Every piece carries the kind of care and attention that can’t be replicated by machine, which felt essential to staying true to her.
How do you want the wearer to connect with the idea of memory and heirlooms through these pieces?
I hope every woman who wears this collection feels like she’s wearing something with a story, not just an outfit, but a piece she’ll want to hold on to, maybe even pass down one day. That’s really the heart of it: creating pieces that become memories in themselves.
What makes an object or piece of jewellery worthy of being passed down through generations?
I don’t think it’s about value in the traditional sense, it’s about meaning. The pieces my mother kept weren’t always expensive or important; but she loved them, and that made them worth keeping. I believe the same is true for what we choose to pass down, it’s the emotional weight, not just the material worth.
How has your own understanding of heirlooms changed while creating Meer Moti: The Sequel?
This collection taught me that heirlooms aren’t always grand; sometimes they’re a button, a broken strand of pearls, a small trinket from a cookie box. What matters is the intention behind keeping something, the love attached to it. That’s shifted how I think about what deserves to be treasured and carried forward.
Rs 60,000 onwards. Available online.
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
@ManuVipin
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