A staple on the city’s pop-up calendar, By Hand From The Heart, has gained a reputation for curating the best products from slow design studios across categories of fashion, lifestyle, art and food. “With this edition, we will play host to a large number of labels that are unveiling their new collections as part of the market,” begins founder Deepa Sekar, talking about the highlights of 27th edition that will showcase goodies from 43 makers.
As a first-time addition to the roster, The Tasting Tables food section is something that is the curators pick. A collaboration between Bengaluru-based Happy Hens, Chennai labels Käse and My Grandmom’s Kitchen, and Chitra’m Craft Chocolate from Coimbatore, the food menu includes grilled halloumi marinated in ginger chutney, corn and cottage cheese bhel with curry podi, the Mediterranean-staple Shakshuka, a cheese platter and a dessert spread. Rs 150 per portion.
Among Deepa’s other first time favourites, Porgai is a brand that comes highly recommended. Run by a group of Lambadi women, the artisan association works towards reviving Lambadi tribal embroidery on apparel and home furnishings. “Handmade goods cannot only be directed towards a niche market. While designs do have to be niche and bespoke, pricing needs to be competitive and I think Porgai is showing the way.”
Running through the two-day itinerary, here’s our pick of first-timers and their products to look forward to.
Bag story
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An unlikely story of competitors turned partners, Chennai-based accessory brand Subr began in 2018. It was then that Susan John (owner of accessory label Sunny Disposition) and Sudha Sekhar (proprietor of Madras Motifs) decided to start a collaborative brand that focussed on textile-based bags. “Considering the market is saturated with ikkat and kalamkari bags, we don’t work with Indian textile crafts and this has done well for us. For our By Hand debut, we will be unveiling the Bruton tote — a zippered box-shaped bag featuring pinstripes, besides a range of laptop bags, pouches and more,” says Sudha.
Rs 2,200 onwards.
Sole searching
Hyderabad-based designer Shashank Pawar’s desire to create a truly sustainable brand led to the innovation of his modular footwear label Murtle. Using a mechanism that utilises a common sole (either made of rubber or cork), the patent-pending design allows the wearer to change the slip-on footwear’s straps as per requirement. “We are bringing a varied range of straps from fabrics to hand-painted leathers and hand-carved wood — all to go on a single pair of footwear.” Cork soles start at Rs 1,500.
All tied up
A novel spin on the tried and tested Shibori tie-and-dye technique, Ahmedabad-based designer Dipika Udhani’s collection of garments experiments with a pole wrapping and dyeing method that produces diagonal stripes. “It was an accidental outcome that allowed me to explore various patterns,” shares the maker behind the brand Adheera. Look out for the brand’s oversized shirt dresses, asymmetrical anti-fit tunics, saris and jackets. Rs 2,500 onwards.
On August 2-3. At Hanu Reddy Residencies. From 10 am onwards.