Durga puja is all about finding the best clothes, and accessories, and creating new looks to slay the show. With only a few days left for the grand festival, we list out a few homegrown labels for your last-minute shopping rituals. These eight labels are creating their unique designs, decking up people in bright, comfortable and sustainable clothing during the festive season. And the best part — they can be worn and re-worn throughout the year, just perfect for Kolkata weather.
Chitras
Chitras’ new edit is all about bright colours, age-old hand-embroidered soft cotton fabrics, handwoven weaves from Bengal, and prints from the West, which are designed into dresses, kurtas, unisex shirts and a lot more. Their puja looks are mostly concentrated on making it a staple for the year, be it a comfortable dress or an easy to wear sari for office parties. Poulami Pramanik and her mother Chaitali Mondal Pramanik thought of launching something for the festive season that will be gorgeous, elegant yet functional. For them, the key to sustainable fashion is to possess a wardrobe with zero unused outfits, so, to make it more sustainable, they upcycled their bestseller sari into a dress too.
Rs 999 onwards.
Rongokutty
If you are looking for something unique, hand painted and out-ofthe-box, you have to see it to believe what Ankita Sengupta’s Rongokutty has in place for you. Its festive edit will boast of cotton and linen shirts, dresses, skirts and saris, leaf imprinted and hand painted in bright and pastel colours.
Rs 1,499 onwards.
Saheli by Anindita Mukherjee
If you are looking for saris that are simple yet exuberant, comfortable yet luxe, take a look at Saheli’s puja edit Amar Durga. Hand and hand-operated machine embroideries are their forte, and each sari and blouse has elaborate puja motifs like the goddess, lion, 3D kaash flowers, mangal pot, Calcutta motifs, and much more. Her elaborate, yet intricate worked saris will surely win you complements.
Rs 2,499 onwards.
Label Hitartha
The idea behind the puja collection of Hitartha and her mother Runa Nath’s label is to blend tradition with modernity. They have designed shirts, kurtas, dresses, co-ord sets and such made with printed fabrics that you probably haven’t seen before. So, this puja, you can choose to sport traditional attire with a modern edge and the cotton fabric will make you feel comfortable and airy during your puja hopping.
Rs 1,100 onwards.
Vara Calcutta
Ishita Das’ Vara Calcutta is going places, this puja. They have launched an edit called Print Replay, that has Gamthi pattern dresses. Gamthi pattern, originated from Gaam of Gujarat and Rajasthan, has fabrics that are usually heavy due to their embroidery artwork, but they have been presented in the form of digital print on Japan satin fabric. They have chosen a halter neckline with a straight-fit kneelength silhouette with an oversized Kimono shrug.
Rs 2,700 onwards for the set.
Sreyashi Raka Das
If you like to go as artsy and traditional as possible, Sreyashi Raka Das’s Sharodotsav edit has traditional Shantiniketan speciality shoru tuli batik work on cotton and silk saris, and cotton jamdani. The colours are inspired by everything in and around nature during the time of Durga Puja — the azure sky, kaash flower, and such.
Rs 2,500 onwards.
House of Poshaki
How about getting your hands on the best of chikankari saris, that too at affordable prices? House of Poshaki, a Kolkata-based homegrown label, redefines luxury with its exquisite collection of garments intricately adorned with the timeless charm of Lucknow Chikankari embroidery. For this puja, they have saris made of kota doria material, hand embroidered buta, ghas patti stitch, and heavy work on the pallu. They also have mukaish work over kota doria, and you can even get your piece in a customised colour. They also have a limited edition organza fabric saris with chikankari work, available in five to six colours.
Rs 3,200 onwards
Jolphoring
If quirky prints are your thing, then you must check what Jolphoring has for you. Their Puja edit this year, Pujor Saaj, mainly consists of tie-dye saris, co-ords, patchwork saris, natural dye printed tops and dresses, and the quintessential gamchha outfits, designed mostly with cotton and other handloom fabrics. Mayuri Bhattacharjee likes working with quirky and artsy digital prints, block prints like Starry starry night, Yellow taxi, Mohiner Ghoraguli, and evil eye motifs, among others, since she believes they make one stand out in the crowd.
Rs 550 onwards