Amortela is a new multi-designer concept store in the city

Amortela in Spanish and Latin means ‘love for fabric.’ True to its name, this newly opened boutique is a multi-designer concept store. Tucked away in the quiet lanes of Poes Garden, the 1,500 sq ft shop is a renovated 50-year-old bungalow with two segments—Amortela and Navalya — for western and indo-western wear. With beige and cream wall backgrounds, wooden flooring and tiny floodlights, the interior décor is minimal and does not overpower the display of the dresses.The team behind Amortela is Chennai-based founder Tija Indrajith, Delhi-based designer Nishtha Kaira, and director of the store Naina Chandani.“Budding designers feel shadowed while displaying their collections in pop-ups along with established designers. So we have created a separate space for them to showcase their designs,” says Tija Indrajith.

Brand conscious
Coming from a third generation family of textile business in Erode, Tija has a fair idea of how the industry works. Having done research for eight months and by traveling to  the interior parts of the country, the team has handpicked 30 designer brands mainly from Mumbai, Jaipur, and Delhi curated based on anti-fit silhouettes and slow clothing. While walking around the store we learn that there are not many Chennai brands and here is why Tija says,“There are very few production houses or tailoring units in Chennai. We more often have to go up the north to source our fabrics and get them worked on by Karigars (an artisan group). South India has a good scope for men’s fashion but the north continues to have an upper hand over women’s clothing.”

A mixed bag
Among the other multi-designer stores in the city, this one stands out for its spotlight on mono-filament silk saris, a riot of colours and bio-degradable fabrics. We see contrasting colours with fairytale inspired light toned dresses from Mumbai-based Pushapk Vimaan and Hyderabad-based The Meraki Project’s doodle-inspired bling clothes under the same roof. The line will be updated every 45 days with a new line either from the same or a different designer. As we move from the Western segment, we step into the ethnic segment. How can it be complete without saris? Their minimalistic weaves from Nagaland is a highlight.“We believe in sourcing our garments directly from the weaver with no involvement of middlemen. But somehow maintaining a stable relationship with them becomes difficult over time because of making payments and delivering orders on time,” she says. Like Inter-national luxury apparel brand Miuniku owned by sisters Tina and Nikita that has an outlet only in Mumbai and will be making its debut at the store soon. 

In the pipeline
Looking ahead, the store plans to regularly host localised coffee brewing sessions, photography shows and artisanal cheese workshops for buyers to interact with the designers. Their first event will be a coffee brewing session with Marc Tormo, a coffee connoisseur from Auroville today. With further plans of opening outlets in Hyderabad and Coimbatore their e-commerce website will be functional from March. 

`1,500 upwards. At Poes Garden Road. Details: 8939409501