Style Trunk Co’s Festive Swirl sees practical apparel that focuses on structure & detailing  

Festive clothing is certainly the overarching theme for Style Trunk Co’s day-long pop-up that starts today. But, this time around, curators Aasha Haresh and daughter Neha Relwani have opted to stay away from OTT staples, placing focus on brands that have a minimalist aesthetic. “Contemporary fusion lines with elements of quirk is a trend that is catching up in cities like Delhi and Mumbai, and will be the defining factor of this edition,” begins Neha, adding that the showcase will have some pocket-friendly options up for grabs.

While customer favourites like Mayank Modi, Anuj Bhutani and O Layla will make a comeback, this edition will see 10 labels making their market debut. Here’s our pick of designers to look out for.

All the right buttons

Anuj Sharma’s designs come with no strings attached, quite literally. An adaptation of the tie and dye method, the Ahmedabad-based designer uses buttons and rubber bands to create fold and contours on fabric, thereby creating silhouettes that can be restructured by simply removing the buttons and placing them elsewhere. “There is an endless possibility of options with the same fabric,” shares the University of Derby, UK graduate. Set to bring his Not so Black collection to Chennai, this line will be the first time the brand has experimented with in-house prints. “The new collection from Button Masala is an ode to the block print.” Incorporating the technique into the collection, Not so Black features circular, hand-drawn block prints on fine mulmul. Rs 4,000 onwards.

Best buds

Maithili Goradia, the sartorial brain behind the Mumbai-based brand Mai-go has never sketched a single design before she has created an ensemble. “I have always loved to experiment with textiles and to draw a design is very restrictive,” begins Maithili, who belongs to a family of textile designers. While the Bagicha collection includes solid coloured, easy-to-wear and simple A-line dresses and kurtas in Chanderi and linen, the 3D embroidery technique employed in the line is a stand out (no pun intended). Created to mimic blooms blossoming on the surface of the fabric, the floral motifs on the ensembles are handcrafted by a team of four artisans, each of whom cut, stitch, and finish the embroidery before the final silhouette is created. Rs 7,000 onwards. 

Check mate

Sikkim-Nepalese duo Teresa Laisom and Utsav Pradhan not only bring together their divergent cultures but a strikingly modern yet minimal aesthetic to their label Munkee See. Munkee Doo. Diverging from the floral trend that is often the mainstay for Spring Summer collections, the pair plays with summer shades in their multi-coloured plaid line. “We have mainly used cotton in sombre hues of ochre, blue, red and charcoal grey that are set against a black or navy blue base,” shares Utsav. Focussed on a practical and minimalist approach to fashion, the brand is best known for its sculpted dresses and jackets made of cotton woven in Manipur. Rs 7,000 onwards.

Raise a flag

For Megha and Kalpesh Oswal, travel is as much a mode of expression of the design sensibilities as it is a way of life. The Pune-based duo turns to the Tibetan flag and the regions customary apparel, which they discovered during their travel. “We have translated the colours of the flag into hues for our line, Blessing From The Hills which uses digital prints and golden embroidery of lotus flowers, a common motif in Tibetan temples,” shares Megha. Primarily made out of dolla silk, raw silk, organza and georgettes, the collection of kurtas, tunics and shirts and bandhgalas for men and the dresses, lehengas and jackets for women employ a range of experimental pleating techniques. Rs 10,000 onwards.

On September 6. At Buva House. 10 am onwards.