Desi power dressing is a big thing in 2019, and Kolkata-based luxury couture label, Garo is making all the right moves. Famous for its intricate and bespoke embroidery, the brand has a popular client base, including names like Sania Mirza and Madhuri Dixit.
“We try to focus a lot on our silhouettes and drapes, to give them a relevant and modern vibe. And we, of course, pay a lot of attention to our embroidery. Our new collection, for instance, is set to feature embroidery on Banarasi pieces, and we are really interested to see the reactions,” Sweta Tantia, the creative mind behind Garo, tells us. The NIFT graduate also reveals that she named her label after the tribe of indigenous people from Assam.
Garo has been around for five years now, and is quite a steady favourite in the showbiz circuit. Mainly because it’s so unlike other couture labels, and actually tries to prioritise the evolving relationship between its creations and its customers. We are quite bowled over by the draping and detailing of some of the pieces, like the georgette crepe drape jumpsuits, their embroidered gharara pants and the bandhani drapes, which are fresh and yet really classic.
Garo’s embroidered bridal lehengas are also extremely popular, as are the kalidars. “We really try to create a balance in our pieces, by keeping our pieces light. Our aesthetic is something that people find appealing — so relaxed and wearable. We try to feature embroidery where it is needed, instead of exaggerating it. We do a lot of work with minimalism, which can make a statement while being really subtle,” says Sweta, whose label sees a huge number of millennial and GenZ customers too.
Sweta tells us that young people today know exactly what they want, and the kind of statement that they want to make. “They are very sure about their style. If they are looking for a couture lehenga, they are confident about it, and that is what they’ll wear. So, we try to keep our price points relatively low and offer value for money. Our prices start from Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 and go up to Rs 1.5 lakh,” she adds. Garo’s vividly coloured and embroidered overlayer jackets and asymmetrical side-cowl bandhani kurtas are a rage and are all about chic, hassle-free clothing, which keeps comfort first — something you can’t find off-the-rack.
Some of our favourite pieces are the ones that seamlessly bring together old-world techniques and the new-age need for low-key wearability. Garo’s georgette kalidars, for instance, which feature stunning tone-on-tone embroidery work, are often paired with retro pastel ghararas; or a deep red three-piece sequin-and-thread embroidered sharara set, which is a new take on occasion wear, and is in the Rs 30-40,000 price bracket.
If you want to browse through some of Garo’s pieces, you can check out their flagship at P-72B, Sardar Shankar Road.
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