Focussed on natural fabrics and easy fits, Udd’s Kolam collection prioritises comfort

For designer Yuti Edward, the allure of creating designs and drawing in her sketchbook using freehand outweighed the creative freedom that she had as a graphic designer. Gravitating towards considering a career in art, the Mumbai-based designer showcased her previously unseen work at an art exhibition put together for her by husband Atul Edward in 2011. “For someone who was not completely comfortable with the idea of being an artist, the show turned things around,” begins Yuti. Marked by designs that drew from textile art forms like Madhubani and Kalamkari in a contemporary fashion, the now 31-year-old designer decided to transpose her art onto fabric and thus began her label Udd in 2013. Inspired by one of the most common freehand designs from South India, the Raffle School of Design graduate created a Summer ’18 line with traditional Kolam design as its leitmotif. 

Take the easy road
Featuring the seven Pulli Kolam, the collection includes 15 styles in the form of separates. Silhouettes are easy and free-flowing, with comfort being given paramount importance. “You will not find a constricting straight cut silhouette through the collection. All of my designs so far have been semi-formal collections that can be classified as comfort clothing,” she explains. Created as dresses, jackets, kurta dresses, pants, blouses, saris and dupattas, the Kolam collection uses natural fabric, khadi. A collaborative effort with the NGO Ushodaya, based near Vishakapatnam, the fabric was handwoven and naturally dyed by weavers from the region. “I had been wanting to create a line with Kolam designs for a long while now. Getting a chance to work with weavers from Andhra Pradesh was the thread that brought the entire collection together.”

On top of it
In shades of maroon, indigo blue, amber and light grey, the collection also sports pinstripes, dots and dashes and multi-coloured tassels, with some outfits making use of layered silhouettes. Consider one of the favourite ensembles of the designer, titled A New Day. The outfit is a two-piece set that includes a slip dress and an asymmetrical khadi kurta. “The kurta slit is high and is diagonal to each other. This is a feature that is recurrent through the line.” 

With two different collections in the pipeline, Yuti will turn her sights on creating a festive line exclusively in silk. “You can look for weaves from Assam in one of the lines,” she reveals. 

Rs 3,000 onwards. Available online.