Chaska collection is a flavourful fusion of fashion and nostalgia
Born in the summer of 2024, Naarangi—Hindi for orange—was imagined as a celebration of vibrancy, joy, and the beauty of simply being. A conscious clothing label rooted in India’s spirit, it thrives on small-batch creations made with skin-loving, locally sourced fabrics. Each piece is designed for guilt-free rest and playful living, with silhouettes that embrace everybody and mood.
Slipping into a Naarangi isn’t just about wearing clothes—it’s about stepping into your truest self, where style and soul flow together. Carrying this philosophy forward, Naarangi now unveils its latest collection, Chaska. Inspired by the irresistible cravings we all return to—be it tangy pickles, childhood treats, or fashion that feels like home—Chaska captures the delight of indulgence, the pull of memory, and the playful essence of our cultural palette. We speak to founders Rudrakshi Sukhija and Ishita Shah to get you all the details.
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Naarangi’s Chaska collection turns Indian cravings and childhood memories into playful, conscious fashion
Chaska taps into cravings and chaos. Did you deliberately design pieces to evoke that tension between sweetness and spice? How did that duality manifest in form, texture, or construction?
Absolutely. The idea of contrast, of sugar meeting spice, was at the heart of Chaska. We wanted each piece to feel like a mood swing: playful yet poised, nostalgic yet new. You’ll see it in how we paired soft cottons with bold silhouettes, in fluid drapes interrupted by unexpected cinches, and in delicate embroidery layered over punchy prints. That sweet-spicy tension became the design compass.
There’s something almost edible about this collection—if each piece were a flavour, how would you describe a few standout ones on a sensory level?
That’s exactly what we hoped Chaska would feel like, deliciously wearable. Each piece is a flavour memory. The Kokum Crush Saree is like a tangy sorbet on a hot afternoon — deep, sharp, and cooling all at once. It wraps around you like a sigh of relief in the summer heat.
The Jamun Jalsa Dress is syrupy and indulgent, much like its namesake fruit — rich, playful, with a touch of mystery. It’s the feeling of stained lips and sticky fingers after sneaking a handful of jamuns from the fridge. And then there’s the Nimbu Twist Dress, bright, zesty, and impossible to ignore. It’s the pop of lemon in a glass of soda, or that first bite of masala nimbu, reviving and cheeky in equal parts.
The collection feels cinematic in its nostalgia—was there a movie scene, an old summer memory, or even a family recipe that made its way onto the mood board?
Many, in fact. Summer breaks at nani’s house, sticky fingers from mangoes, and the clink of glass bangles during afternoon TV serials. But perhaps the strongest visual was the memory of aluminium tiffin boxes filled with aam panna and masala sandwiches on train journeys. Those moments carried a rich sensory palette that inspired both our prints and our palette.
The silhouettes play with contrast—billowy vs. structured, airy vs. bold. Is there a metaphor there?
Definitely. We see Indian summers, and Indian womanhood — as layered and contradictory. Chaska reflects that duality. You could be soft and assertive, dreamy and grounded, all in the same breath. We weren’t just dressing the body, we were trying to dress moods, memories, and personalities.
We’re intrigued by the idea of ‘flavours you can wear’—did this mindset influence how you approached pattern placement or even seam lines and drapes?
Honestly, it wasn’t something we mapped out from the start. It all unfolded quite organically. We began with colours — shades that instantly reminded us of nostalgic childhood cravings: the yellow of nimbu masala, the deep pink of kokum, the purple of ripe jamuns. From there, the story started to write itself.
As we immersed ourselves in those flavour memories, our design decisions naturally followed. Seam lines began to mimic the curves of syrup trails, patterns were placed like garnishes, and drapes started to feel like textures you’d want to taste. It was less about a rigid plan and more about letting one memory flow into the next, flavours guiding forms, instinct guiding the rest.
How did you bring playfulness into traditionally elegant pieces like saris or shirt dresses? Did you push any boundaries of formality through design details?
When we started reminiscing about nostalgic Indian summers, the sari was non-negotiable, it was a visual anchored in memories of our mothers, grandmothers, and the way they moved so effortlessly in six yards of grace. But we wanted to reinterpret it for today. So, we played with the blouse, letting the edges speak through embroidered detailing, subtle structure, and shapes that added personality. The sari itself was made feather-light, almost like a second skin, so it feels nostalgic but lives modern, hassle-free and breathable.
For our shirt dresses, we used solid, juicy summer tones and added delicate bead detailing to strike a balance between quirk and femininity. They hug and highlight the body in a way that feels flattering but never forced. Both forms — saris and dresses, were reimagined to carry the playfulness of Chaska while still feeling timeless.
You chose fabrics that are soft, breathable, but full of character — was it important that the clothes also sound and move a certain way, not just look good?
Very much so. For us, fabric isn’t just visual, it’s an experience. We chose cotton silk, silk kota doriya, and mesh cotton precisely because they’re light, breathable, and carry their own quiet personality.
Cotton silk brings in a subtle sheen and softness that feels luxurious yet grounded. Silk kota doriya has that perfect translucence — it catches light and air so beautifully, almost like it’s dancing around you. And mesh cotton added a touch of play, texture, and movement, especially in layered pieces.
We wanted the garments to rustle, breathe, and sway like a summer breeze, to feel like home, like memory, like something your body wants to live in. They had to look good, yes, but more importantly, they had to feel alive.
Were there any unconventional detailing choices—like tie-ups, ruching, texture layering—that emerged from your design play rather than pre-planning?
Yes! Many of our most loved details — like adjustable tie-up backs, uneven hemlines, or surprise pops of embroidery, came from spontaneous draping sessions in the studio. We allowed the fabric to speak and sometimes it surprised us with what it wanted to become.
There’s an undercurrent of Indian femininity and rebellion in Chaska—were you drawing from specific Indian attitudes or generational aesthetics while building this collection?
Chaska draws deeply from generational aesthetics — the kind passed down through wardrobes, rituals, and quiet observations. We were inspired by how women across generations express themselves through clothes: our grandmothers draping soft mul saris with poise, our mothers in bold lipstick and breezy cotton kurtas, and our own generation mixing bindis with sneakers.
There’s a timelessness in how Indian women dress, elegant yet strong, expressive but never overdone. Chaska reflects that layered identity. It nods to inherited traditions but adds a flicker of rebellion — a blouse cut differently, a print that surprises, a silhouette that flirts with the past but feels entirely now.
If each piece told a story from an Indian summer—what kinds of characters do you imagine wearing them?
A girl on the train to her nani’s house, eating imli. A woman dancing barefoot to an old film song at sunset. A group of friends sharing sugarcane juice after a college exam. We imagined characters living their fullest, most flavourful moments, and dressing the part.
If Chaska was a sensory installation, what would be in the room?
The smell of mangoes and marigold. The sound of anklets mixed with 90s Bollywood tunes. Walls painted in imli brown and rani pink. Fabrics you can run your hands through. A kulfi cart in one corner, and a soft ceiling fan spinning lazily above. It would be immersive chaos, in the best way.
Let’s say Chaska had a soundtrack—what three songs or sounds would define the collection’s mood? Funky, folksy, flirty — what’s the vibe?
Chaska lives somewhere between retro glamour and unruly fun, and its soundtrack reflects exactly that.
• Jawaan-E-Jaaneman for its sultry elegance and old-school charm — it captures the soft, cinematic mood that runs through the collection.
• Hawa Hawai for its unapologetic drama and campy energy — it’s playful, iconic, and impossible to ignore, just like some of our standout silhouettes.
• Mehbooba Mehbooba for its earthy sensuality and infectious rhythm — a song that smells like summer dust and mangoes, wild and free.