Nestled between rows of residential complexes is the quiet new address of the home-grown brand Aranya. The duplex store called Aranya Baari greeted us with a beautiful ceramic and homeware collection upon entering. Move a flight of steps and one will be transported into a handloom haven with a choice of apparel and home furnishings to choose from. As we went to explore the space the vast collection of saris, kurtas, shirts, bedspreads, table spreads in various block prints, Ajrakh, Ikkat styles left us mesmerized. The silver jewellery section was also worth a watch.
Owner Chandani Basu joined us for a chat about the new store, working with handlooms, their collections, and more.
Why the relocation?
We were at Dakhinapan for a very long time and noticed that most of our clientele is from this area. Also, we wanted to move out because we wanted to have our own flexible timings etc. Though it was a good place to do business, I think we outgrew that at some point in time.
Why did you venture into handlooms?
Initially, Aranya would do only stationeries. The clothesline started almost 12 years back. At that time, making Western cuts with Indian fabrics was very rare. It was mostly done in designer stores. In fact, I could not find anything quirky or smart to buy from established places. Regular office wear was good but fun clothes on vacations were not to be found. From there we started palazzo pants and spaghetti tops with handloom fabrics.
Is there a noticeable demand pattern among your audience?
I think people are conscious of what fabrics they are buying nowadays. I find my customers to be very knowledgeable. There is an overall awareness, drive, and a conscious effort to wear more handlooms.
What kind of products have you expanded to?
We have sari, blouse, regular kurtis with straight pants, dhoti pants, trousers, and tops in various lengths. But the most popular are our handloom dresses and jumpsuits. People love wearing dresses, even to their offices. We have two kinds– dresses that you can wear to the office or those that you can wear on vacations.
Tell us a bit about your homeware section
We always had some titbits for the homeware section. But during COVID, since we had to stay at home, people started beautifying their homes. From there we started with curtains. However, post-COVID, the home section saw a huge resurgence. We expanded to curtains, bedspreads, pillow covers, cushion covers, rugs, tablecloths, runners, placemats, napkins; most handlooms. We also have studio pottery, antiques collected from all over the country, lampshades, and more.
Are the products made by your team or sourced from artisans?
We have our own design team who conceptualise the items. For instance, Kantha stitch lampshades have been very popular. Nakshikantha saris have been there for ages but the lamp was new. The moment we made it, people loved it. Kantha has been here for a long but the price of a kantha stitch sari makes it suitable for very special occasions. With our household products, these would be in front of your eyes all the time and you can sit and appreciate its beauty.
What initiatives are you taking to contribute towards an eco-friendly environment?
Any house that has a tailoring unit would have a huge amount of cut fabrics. You can easily get rid of them or find ways of using them. We have bedspreads, table runners, etc made with cut fabrics. But these are periodical products only. Talking about sustainable fashion, for a long time we have been using vegetable dyes. Handloom fabric itself is very sustainable. We consciously try to procure the best of dyes from Rajasthan and khadi and jamdani from parts of Bengal and collate them through our designs at our workshop.
With block printing primarily being a West Indian concept, how difficult or easy is it to work with it in Bengal?
Block printing has been happening in Bengal too but there are some marked differences, primarily with the dye usage. Secondly, they use wood and metal for block prints and we use wooden block prints which are cut in Serampore. They do resist printing or mud Batik more and we do direct block printing.
A client favourite design from your store
We have a collection called ‘Into the Wilderness’ where we made nature-centric designs. In fact, it will be re-launched with newer designs soon. We made two blocks, one with a hummingbird and another with floating lotuses. Both are hugely popular in home furnishings and apparel.
Address: 379 Jodhpur Park, Aranya Baari
Opening Time: 11 am – 8 pm