All things Square: Azurina's collection is beach-inspired

All things Square: Azurina's collection is beach-inspired

Azurina’s latest line explores patterns of squares, windowpane and buffalo checks in khadi and crafted cotton 

For an engineer-turned-management graduate-turned-fashion retailer, Dipu Krishnamurthi, the warm and sunny shores of Chennai beach have always been the inspiration behind her designs. Earlier, she worked in Chicago with Motorola, in Columbo with Victoria Secret and then moved to Chennai in 2010 to start her brand Azurina. “The name Azurina comes from combining Azure, referring to the blue waters of The Bay of Bengal, and the ubiquitous, languid Casuarina trees that line the Madras coast,” says the 40-year-old.  Her brand has now evolved from table hand-printing techniques to working with weavers using artisanal fabric in a span of about seven years with another three-year-old outlet in Coimbatore.


Checkmate
Moving gradually from florals to geometry, Dipu is specific about the patterns used in her apparels. She calls stripes the DNA of her brand. Having planned for six months, she decided to work more on squares and check patterns in her present collection with artisans from Gandhigram of Madurai and Hyderabad. Her favourite is a yellow chambray khadi fabric made into a day wear dress. The fabric is just a chambray and features no squares, but the dress has clever little pockets made in a sheer grid pattern displaying lots of little squares.


Coastal charm
With a motive to give women a gentler, slower paced life of laid-back style, the major part of the colour scheme in this collection is a restrained palette of earthy browns and blues, balanced by a lively set of pinks, yellows, and turquoise. These minimalist coastal looks come in kurtas, day dresses, short tops and pants. The line extends to  casual women’s clothing, sleepwear, children’s clothing and home accessories (towels, rugs, bric-a-brac). “We have tried our best to stick to natural fibres — predominantly khadi, linen, and silk with an emphasis on minimal, flattering styling,” says the designer. 


Urban gypsy
The designer’s upcoming collection Urban gypsy is expected by the year end. You can expect more tassels and bright colours worked on by artisans from Surat and curated from parts of Jaipur. “I believe that when artisans work in their comfort zones they deliver designs quicker and better when compared to being coaxed with ideas. I want to see how their creativity flows,” shares Dipu. She is presently planning to work with artisans from Erode. 
`2,000 upwards. At Azurina. Details: 7540004540

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com