Maku returns to Chennai with four new collections including an edit that celebrates the ‘Madras Checks’

More internationally renowned than within their home country, Kolkata-based Maku only recently began focusing on Indian markets, but has since become a label that has won several fashionistas over. Popular with celebs like Konkona Sensharma and Paoli Dam, the label began in 2011, when designer Santanu Das took to being a couturier-in-the-making while pursuing a degree at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

Known for their obsession with natural dyes, often the hue and colour of the dye defining their whole collection — the label focuses on silhouettes that are inspired by ethnic Indian clothing deconstructed for a global audience with global tastes.

“We’re actually showcasing four new collections in Chennai. There’s the Madras Checks collection. Then we have a collection called Marigold that uses a mix of marigold and indigo dyes, creating a beautiful pale green that defines the whole edit. We also are bringing our popular perennial white collection and a new edit of saris from our sister label Maku Kameez,” begins Santanu Das.

Maku refers to the shuttle on a handloom in Bengali and the label focuses on handlooms and handloom techniques from all across India. “As most people know, the famous Madras Check fabric used to be exported all across the world from Chennai at one point of time. We took inspiration from this versatile fabric and tried to recreate them here in Bengal with different fabrics — cotton silk, handspun cotton and we also tried to incorporate some jamdani into the fabric too. This collection is in indigo and pale grey and is made up of silhouettes in cotton, silk, linen and jamdani,” adds Santanu.

The Marigold collection shifts focus to a specific shade of green obtained by mixing natural indigo dye and natural dye from marigold flowers. “Marigold is the other collection we’re bringing to Chennai and I am also told Chennai loves the marigold flower quite a bit too! The collection focuses on silk jamdanis in a variety of silhouettes, each unique and unlike another,” enthuses the eclectic designer.

Maku’s perennial collection in whites comes in cottons, khadis, cotton silks and jamdanis and the sari collection from label Maku Kameez promises fashionable drapes in indigo, white, yellow and red in linen, khadi and silk.

“Maku Kameez was created because Maku focuses on the western body, physiology, ratio and dimensions, shapes and aesthetics and we wanted clothes that could also fit Indians well too. Because, honestly, my own mother cannot wear the silhouettes we create for Maku. We take Indian silhouettes and deconstruct it so much in terms of fall and fit that we create brand new silhouettes that may not necessarily have a name. It’s super hard to categorise these silhouettes,” concludes the couturier.

Next up, Maku is planning an over-dyed indigo collection — where the indigo takes on almost black hue — and that collection might hit stores by late August.

INR 12,000 onwards. At Amethyst.

romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal