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This homegrown saree label celebrates its first year with a series of artsy saris
Launched last year by friends Shilpa Chakraborty and Tanima Roychowdhury, homegrown label Aalta aims at bringing a fresh perspective to the six yards of elegance called sari. “We offer a range of attires with unique blends of modernity and tradition. Each piece by brand is handpicked from master craftsmen around the country to which we add our unique touch of design. We initially started off with showcasing Bangladeshi handwoven jamdani and then, gradually added block printed tussar and silks, chanderi, Odisi weaves and Bengal cottons to our collection,” says Shilpa. To celebrate the label’s first anniversary, they launched a unique set of printed wonders called The Great Artist series and Shilpa takes us through the same.
Tell us about the collection.
It is a tribute to a few famous art work done by master creators. When we see a stunning piece of art, it stays with us, it impacts our subconscious and influences our choices in more ways than one. The Great Artist series is an ode to the greatest artists and their magical creations. We have trans-created the paintings in six yards. They have been fashioned like a story, keeping the aanchal of the sari as the primary image and the entire breadth of the sari expanding the portrayal of the aanchal. When you drape it, you will feel like you are embracing a painting in your six yards. We have used muslin as a fabric for this series.
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What’s trending this Puja in saris?
Prints are in vogue this season, from hand-block ones to digital prints. Along with that, the heavy silks are trending too.
Puja wardrobe must-haves this year?
A jamdani, a natural dye prints, a Benarasi or a Kanjeevaram, an old school hand block printed silk or tussar, and a statement printed sari.
What are your plans for the label?
We would like to grow Aalta steadily. We are not in a rush. We are aware that it’s a bandwagon we have joined. So, if we have to make it different and special it will happen gradually and not overnight. We put a lot of emphasis and focus on our procurement and development and we ensure that it is done in the most effective way so that we offer a product at a reasonable rate.
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Upcoming collection?
The next collection will be for this Puja and it will be a hand-painted sari celebrating Durga Puja in a completely different and unique manner, while focusing on an inclusive ecosystem.
Credits
Pics: Debarshi Sarkar
Model: Artist Suchanda Banerjee
Makeup: Surojit Sarkar