Bathing in bright purples, oranges, monochromatic combinations, and a heavy dose of nostalgia — Arya Giri’s new collection Kaboodle beckons lovers of vibrancy and exuberance. A refreshing follow-up to the first two collections of By Arya, this capsule collection — reminiscent of the hippie aesthetic colour palette and the endless imagination of a child — is a nod to her grandfather’s wardrobe.
“I think we had a three-pronged approach to the collection. One was the nostalgic factor and the child-like wonder tied in the way that we have approached the colour; anchored with my memories of reading Dr Seuss books. The second is the narrative of my grandfather who had 15 perfect shirts for the year and that’s it. And the third, is how do we take that shirt that is so versatile and underrated and play around with that, the way they (our grandfathers) explored their personal style because they didn’t shop and collect as much as us,” she elaborates. Shirts, shirtdresses, co-ord sets, and jackets embroidered with the collection emblem, there is an array of silhouettes — eight shirts in this case — to choose from.
While the style takes you in a new direction from her earlier work, the commitment to slow fashion still remains with the organic fabric, and hand-embroidered kantha work. With the help of 20 karigars, Arya marries a traditional technique to a contemporary twist. “A huge part of By Arya is heritage and cultural sustainability and that means we support our craftsmen which is one small way in which we can make a monumental difference in keeping these artworks alive,” she explains.
INR 3,000 onwards. Available at Evoluzione and Curato.
sahana@newindianexpress.com
@SahanaIyer5