Fusion ensembles crafted from handloom often have the image of being old-world and I want to change that,” says Suguna Raman Gorukanti, who opened an experiential store in Jubilee Hills on April 1 for her label, Svara. The MBA graduate from Duke University decided to quit her lucrative banking job a few years ago, and come back to Hyderabad to work with handlooms. She founded Svara around two years ago as an online portal, but she says her patrons wanted an experiential store to feel the softness of the Ikats and Pochampally fabric.
The store, located at the co-working space in Jxtapose, has glass exteriors, and you can spot the pastel-hued A-line dresses and kurtas, which almost beckon you inside. After we were welcomed by the affable founder, Suguna, she showed us around the shelves which currently comprises two of her latest collections, Bulbul and Aranya. “I curate the handwoven weaves from various clusters in Telangana and our in-house designer makes sure she innovates the patterns and gives it a modern spin,” she says, adding that for Aranya, which features ensembles made of Ikat, one can spot circular patterns instead of the often noticed mountain shaped ones. “The collections have come from women weavers, whom we have trained,” adds the Delhi-born curator who mentions that the collections have been developed in collaboration with the Disha Project, a partnership between India Development Foundation and United Nations Development Program.
Apart from the in-house designer from the city, she also has worked with apparel designers based in Noida and Delhi to make sure no two creations are alike. At the moment, the highlight at the newly minted store is the summer collection, called Bulbul. It is made of the purest form of cotton, which is buttery soft to touch. One can find anti-fit kurtas, dresses with V-necks fitted at the waist with the motif of bulbul bird hand block-printed all over the ensemble. The shade card is also soothing and some of the predominant ones are pale blue, peach and ivory. The other collection in the store is called Aranya, which is inspired by the hues of the forest like dark and green and brown. There’s also a small section for men, where one can shop for kurtas with loop and potli buttons. However, our favourite part of the store was the colourful terracotta jewellery. Some of these have a touch of gold and silver, which goes well with Indian wear, but the more modern ones with statement pendants can amp up your style quotient whenever you need a boost.
Rs 1,900 onwards for ensembles.
Rs 250 onwards for accessories.
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@Paulami309
Photos: R Satish Babu