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In an inspired collaboration that bridges centuries of craftsmanship and contemporary Indian design, Chennai-based fashion designer Rehane is unveiling a collection steeped in translucent grace. This time, the muse is kota doria—a delicate, handwoven textile native to Rajasthan, brought to life with the finesse of award-winning weaver Yunus Bhai Kota. The upcoming exhibition promises not just textiles, but tales—of revival, of dreams woven into warp and weft, and of couture deeply rooted in culture.
“Actually, I’ve been dying to do kota for the longest time,” Rehane begins, animated and lyrical, her voice echoing her unmistakable aesthetic—romantic, nostalgic, unafraid. “I had done my first kota weave almost 10 years ago. It was floral and so delicate, so beautiful... There’s a picture of me wearing it somewhere. But before I could say Jack Robinson, it was everywhere. Plagiarised.”
That moment, frustrating yet revealing, became the genesis of her return to kota. “It was that same weaver, Yunus Bhai, who I’ve decided to work with again. This time, he’s doing mostly his own designs and maybe just a couple of mine—not too many,” she adds, with her characteristic generosity of spirit.
Rehane’s clothes, much like her worldview, are filled with poetry. She designs in metaphors, often visualising her garments like moments in nature. “My Indian clothes are very dreamy, very romantic. I like things that are not too heavy, not too ornate. Like a night sky—where there’s a moon, and a few stars, but you can still see the sky,” she muses. “I like that openness. I believe saris should be simple; the jewellery should talk.”
The collaboration with Yunus is as much about craft as it is about storytelling. “They start with a sketch, and then—I don’t know how they do it—it’s just pure magic,” she laughs. “The first sari I designed with them had this 3D shadow play in the motif. No one had done that before in kota. I gave them a painting of roses and said, ‘I want this, exactly this, on the border.’ They said, ‘We don’t know. We’ll try.’ And they did. And then, of course, it got copied and sold all over. But you know what? I don’t hold it against them.”
There’s a striking humility in how Rehane views her role—not as a gatekeeper of design, but as a contributor to a larger, shared artistic legacy. “They’re craftspeople. If my design helped make their life a little easier, that’s fine. I’m not possessive about what I do,” she says, matter-of-factly. It’s a refreshing perspective in a fashion industry obsessed with ownership and exclusivity.
Colour, for Rehane, is a language of its own. “You know, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are culturally so far apart, yet so similar. Both are big on colour—bold, unapologetic colour. You’ll see electric blues in both places. I wear pastels most of the time, but on some days, I wear the brightest hues, and I wear them proudly.”
Is this then a cross-cultural collaboration? She hesitates. “I wouldn’t say cross-cultural, exactly. It’s more like… less Western-exposed meeting less Western-exposed. But today, thanks to the internet, Instagram, everyone knows everything. No one is really isolated anymore.”
What remains untouched, though, is the deeply Indian understanding of couture. “It’s so bizarre, but true couture is Indian,” she asserts. “The concept of one-of-a-kind—only one piece, not mass-produced—that’s ours. A weaver will make three saris. Maybe three versions. If you pay them enough, they won’t even make the other two!” She laughs, half exasperated, half admiring. “When they embroider a dress in a specific colour, that piece is unique. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. It can still be affordable, and still be one of one. Where else in the world does that happen?”
This kota collection is not just a design showcase—it’s a love letter to heritage. It is also Rehane at her most honest, weaving beauty and contradiction into her garments the way only someone with a true feel for fabric can.
“It’s just the way India is,” she says, as if wrapping up a thought and unspooling another. “So many contradictions, so much magic. It’s all in the weave.”
Price on request. On June 20, 2025. At the Taj Club House.
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
@ManuVipin
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