Fashion designers in India, whether big names or up-and-coming talent, showcased exciting work in 2021. From Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai to Bengaluru, designers in these cities offered unique collections for different seasons. Here’s a look at some of the most promising names of the year:
Sunita Shanker
Handloom goddess and couturier Sunita Shanker launched her Autumn-Winter ’21 collection in Chennai. The collection was a synergy between fashion and traditional crafts. Featuring ultra-modern pieces like halter jumpsuits, coats, jackets, dresses, skirts, tops, overlays, and tunics in silk and cotton silk. The designs aim to encompass modernity and also gracefully embrace traditional crafts such as bandhani and kantha. The silhouettes, in typical Sunita Shanker vocabulary, are clean and minimalist and each individual piece is designed to be trans-seasonal and can be worn multiple times and in multiple ways too.
Samyukta Nair
It was in 2014 when Samyukta Nair started Dandelion Day, the brand of stylish sleepwear for both men and women. With her latest collection, it’s a new journey into apparel for the entrepreneur whose foray into fashion was a smooth one as she hails from a garment business family. Mumbai-based Dandelion Day’s first-ever collection of women’s staple wear, Floret, has enjoyment written all over it thanks to the quirky prints like Wild Peony in fun, bright colours. The prints and the flowy silhouettes make them perfect go-to wear for that Sunday brunch outing.
Priyata Banik
Jewllery designer Priyata Banik’s label Priyata Artwork has earned a name for using discarded wood, loofah, used wires, glass and fabric scraps to make their pieces. Household objects, stone dust, glass, discarded wires or nails, broken crockery and pistachio shells are also used. Each piece takes at least 12-13 days, from design to final production.
Sayantan Sarkar
Kolkata-based couturier Sayantan Sarkar launched a concept titled Charu in 2021. Though the name is that of a female, it connotes love and this year the designer’s wedding line speaks of love and its myriad shades of emotions. The idea is to uphold and celebrate the different characters of love. A motley of colours, emotions, forms and structures represent the feeling of being in love in different phases of one's life. Each and every wedding or bridal collection that will be launched henceforth from the house of Sayantan Sarkar will be a continuation of the concept of Charu.
Surbhi Pansari
Known for designing wedding wear, Kolkata's Surbhi Pansari offers silhouettes that are classic yet have a contemporary edge. In 2021 Surbhi incorporated geometric shapes in her edit and the craftsmanship on each of her pieces takes the look a notch higher. The Autumn-Winter festive collection for 2021 was Geometry In Threads. The designer used geometric motifs and surface ornamentation with monotone colours. The geometric pattern is structured well and is methodically arranged. Intricate details have been added to the outfits. Pieces that define the collection include jodhpuri coats, blazers, bandhgalas, waistcoats, Nehru jackets and kurtas in luxurious fabrics inspired by the heritage crafts of India. The collection is defined by elements such as abstract lines, abstract grids, horizontal lines and geometric blocks in vibrant colour palettes.
Prashasti Goyal
The label Auruhfy by Prashasti Goyal launched a collection titled Dyuti which made a powerful statement with its approach towards sustainable fashion. Auruhfy, the fashion and home decor brand, focuses on blending traditional Indian crafts and textiles keeping in mind the importance of sustainability. Dyuti features garments that are intricately handcrafted in cotton and muslin silk. The collection boasts solid colours in asymmetrical silhouettes suitable for both beachwear and daywear — be it a shirt, dress or a sari.
Archana Shah
This Hyderabad-based designer is known for the use of floral elements in her designs. Archana's last collection in 2021, Poppy, was fun and festive and apt for the wedding season. Floral elements have always been an inspiration for the designer, and Poppy was inspired by peony flowers. Archana effectively blends her inspiration from nature in her creations which are known for their comfort and style. With this collection, she wanted to offer a collection that is bright and happy — especially for the wedding season, for brides and bridesmaids. It’s ideal for those who want to dress for mehendi and other smaller events during a wedding.
Jason and Anshu
Popularly known as the designer duo behind the label Small Shop, Jason and Anshu are favourites in Chennai fashion circles. Based out of Bengaluru, the designer duo has visited the city very often since their inception in 2006 and in 2021 they launched their ‘non-seasonal’ AW ’21 edit, ROAM. The seasonless collection brought together timeless pieces, expressive of elements in nature, which brighten up any urban context. The pieces can slip right into anyone’s wardrobe, as long as the wardrobe is focused on sustainability. You can mix and match and find your own identity through the ensembles.
Kshitij Jalori
A textile graduate from National Institute of fashion Technology, New Delhi, it was his inclination towards creating structured garments with Indian textiles that led designer Kshitij Jalori to start his eponymous label in 2018. Deeply rooted in indigenous crafts and techniques, the brand hopes to achieve a global appeal with modern silhouettes through coordinated kurta sets, pant suits, and structured jackets while also creating classic and traditional saris, dupattas and lehengas. In 2021, Kshitij showcased his new collection Kellee — inspired by American artist Ellsworth Kelly positioned imaginatively in a garden somewhere in Mexico. The collection features Mexican motifs embedded in its prints that include marigolds, hydrangeas and anthuriums, along with birds such as toucans and the hornbill. With touches of classic colour-blocking, the prints are bold and are selected as homage to Ellsworth Kelly and his interpretation of nature that included adopting shadows cast by architecture and dressing down figures to their simplest forms.
Chaitanya Rao
Chennai-based Chaitanya Rao launched a new collection titled Tribe in 2021. The designer said he took inspiration from the world around us and believes that true fashion always looks inward. From embroidery-heavy blouses paired with structured saris to tribal motif embroidery patches on organic cotton for both men and women, the collection also features individual pieces that celebrate indigenous techniques like tie and dye.
Vandana Bhandare
Launched just after the lockdown in 2020, Vanaras by Vandana Bhandare is known for its nostalgic aesthetic, one with a focus on clean lines, solid hues and minimal surface ornamentation. The label makes an array of shirt dresses, gathered maxis, shifts, crops tops, wrap tops, shirts and more. “We believe good design is evocative without being complex. Even the most minimalist of designs, meticulously crafted, can make an attire spell grace, modernity and sophistication. We keep our silhouettes airy, effortless, cosy, chic and endowed with subtle little details,” the Bengaluru-based designer, who was initiated into the world of craft and design by her father who ran a silk manufacturing unit, tells us. Her latest collection Endless Weekends is crafted from Certified Organic cotton that is hand-woven by artisans in Maheshwar. The textiles, in hues such as forest green, cornflower blue and cream, are detailed with embroidered floral motifs.
Radhika Patel
Bengaluru-based Radhika Patel’s label River is barely a month old, but what it lacks in age and history, it makes up for in design. “River is minimalist – not for the rage of it, but for the fact that it honours our vision. Our design aesthetic epitomises simple, every day, relaxed clothing that is intended to make you feel your comfortable best no matter the occasion. All the garments are made-to-order in small batches and can be customised as per your preference. Our mission is to make you wear the garments and not the other way round,” says Radhika. The debut collection, Finding, for instance, is an ode to linen. “Linen is perfect for more reasons than one. It breathes and moves with you throughout the day,” she explains, and informs us that the collection is made from 100 per cent pure linen. Boasting a palette of earthy colours, the silhouettes are classic and simple and range from simple work shirts and tunics with scalloped edges and ruffles to raw hem dresses and relaxed trousers. Next season, Radhika also hopes to add some genderless garments to the collection.