Shawls from Shaza

This winter, look stunning in Shaza’s gorgeous pashmina shawls

As we are heading into the festive season, Shaza’s new collection is focussed on Kalamkari.

Shaza is a one-of-a-kind bespoke label embroidering untold stories of folklore and traditions on handcrafted luxury shawls in contemporary styles. Launched by Shruit Gupta in 2017, Shaza is all about art inspired by nature, folklore and traditions of an enticing era. “I have always been intrigued by the stories of the past. So, when I started Shaza, I wanted to use textile to narrate stories that inspire us, guide us and influence us. Shaza is a revival project of an age-old craftsmanship on finest pashmina,” says Shruti, as she let us have a peek into her latest collection.

A shawl from the collection

Tell us all about the new collection.

As we are heading into the festive season, Shaza’s new collection is focussed on Kalamkari. We launched a variety of collections this season. There’s Rashke Qamar (envy of the moon) celebrating love and commitment, and focussed on twin shawls from the same looms for a couple. Leela (stories of divine play) depicts rich stories of culture, traditions and divinity, while Gulzar Kalamkari is all about modern fashion pieces.

We wanted all of our shawls to be carried easily on any outfit, so, we have covered monotones, to a symphony of bright colours. We have found a new audience in men embracing shawls like never before. So we focussed on an entire line of men’s accessories.

How relevant are shawls to winter dressing nowadays especially in tropical areas?

Shawls are versatile in their weight and construction. Not all shawls have to be warm to embrace chilling weather. Some are usually quite light and used in transition between short weather exposure.

Also, over-the-shoulder accessories have always been popular irrespective of the geographical location. Shawls provide a comfort and warmth unlike usual winter jackets because they can be very personally stylised.

A shawl from the collection

How one can style winter looks with shawls?

I usually go for around the neck hang, which is muffler styled and usually gives the warmth where it’s most needed. Other ways are cape styled, one-side drape and even one shoulder drape.

What to expect in 2024 from Shaza?

Streamlined collections that are more exclusive and rarer. We are exploring the versatility of our craft, birthing designs that can be more freely worn in any weather. We will be playing around with block prints, scarves and different fabrics using similar craft techniques.