Kolkata designer Avishek Naiya decodes his Puja collection, Sharod Arpan, with four exclusive looks flaunted by actor Jaya Ahsan
Comfortable, chic, repeat-worthy and eco-conscious. These new parameters define Gen Z fashion code. The younger generation of fashionistas is increasingly settling for simple yet elegant styles. For Durga Puja, too, the young brigade is experimenting with trends and traditions, creating comfortable yet extremely fashionable sartorial options that can be effortlessly carried through the sultry Puja days.
For this week’s Durga puja cover, we have one such young, emerging designer from Kolkata, Avishek Naiya, who blends Bengal weaves with contemporary eco-conscious fibres to create stylish handcrafted wonders. Avishek’s festive collection, Sharod Arpan, is comfortable, light, yet extremely stylish.
This collection celebrates Bengal’s natural beauty, festive spirit, and enduring textile heritage. Inspired by the landscapes, flowers, colours, fragrances, and familiar elements of Bengali nature, it explores how deeply nature is woven into the way Bengalis celebrate their festivals.
“This collection brings all these emotions together through the language of textiles and fashion. The colours draw from Bengal’s festive mood and its natural surroundings, while the motifs are inspired by elements of flora and fauna from Bengal. Flowers such as genda phool, rajanigandha, shiuli, and lotus and trees like papaya have inspired the collection, along with the majestic royal Bengal tiger. Each motif carries its own character, memory, and cultural connection,” explains Avishek.
Since sustainability is the spine of his design philosophy, Avishek has worked with natural fabrics and yarns for this collection, focusing on materials that maintain a closer connection with nature. From natural silks to pineapple-based yarn, the materials become the collection’s central inspiration. Handweaving also creates a deeper connection between the garments and the artisans. Each sari from the collection tells a different story — of a flower, a landscape, an animal, a season, a ritual, or a memory. This collection is ultimately an ode to Bengal’s nature, its festivals, its colours, its artisans, and the timeless beauty of its textile traditions. We have curated four looks for the four days of the puja for you to try, where we had popular actress Jaya Ahsan as the muse, carrying the looks effortlessly. Avishek takes us through the collection and shares some useful festive fashion tips with our readers.
What inspired your Puja collection?
The collection is deeply inspired by Bengal in autumn—not just Durga Puja as a festival, but everything that surrounds it: the changing landscape, Shiuli flowers, the fragrance in the air, the sound of dhak, the colours of nature and the emotional anticipation of Sharod.
I wanted to translate those memories into clothing. The collection looks at Bengal through its flora, fauna, colours, textures and traditional craftsmanship, while giving them a contemporary expression.
How does juxtaposing gentle flora with powerful fauna reshape the visual language of traditional puja fashion?
I wanted to move beyond the predictable floral vocabulary often associated with festive fashion. Bengal has an incredible coexistence of delicacy and strength—Shiuli flowers can exist in the same landscape as powerful animals.
That contrast became central to the collection. The softness of flora brings a sense of poetry, while fauna introduces strength and drama. Together, they create a visual language that feels distinctly Bengali but isn’t conventionally nostalgic.
How can a garment evoke olfactory and sensory memories like fresh shiuli flowers or crisp autumn air through texture alone?
For me, Durga Puja comes every year, and the Shiuli flowers also bloom every year. Yet, somehow, every year it feels new. The fragrance of Shiuli, the divine atmosphere, the festive spirit and the anticipation of Puja bring back familiar memories, but with a sense of newness every time.
I think clothing can create that same feeling. We can wear a sari every day, but it doesn’t have to feel the same. We can give it a new identity through the way we drape it, style it and represent it.
How does a narrative-driven collection like Sharod-Arpan fit into or challenge these traditional dress codes across the five days of Puja?
Today, our lives are extremely busy, and our lifestyles are increasingly influenced by Western culture, not just in the way we dress, but in the way we live. We often wear Western attire every day, while Durga Puja comes only once a year.
That makes the Pujas an opportunity to reconnect with our own traditions. We celebrate the festival through our rituals, food, music, emotions and traditional attire.
What’s trending this Puja, given the heat and rains?
Choose your individual style, while keeping comfort in mind. Fashion should make you feel confident, but it should also allow you to enjoy the festival comfortably.
Avoid overly saturated colours and synthetic or plastic-based materials, especially considering the heat and humidity. Choose natural fibres such as cotton, linen and pure silk, which are more breathable and comfortable.
For the morning, light-weight cotton or linen in softer, lighter shades can work beautifully. As evening sets in, you can move towards silk, preferably a lightweight one in a slightly richer and more interesting colour palette.
You don’t need something extremely heavy to look festive. The fabric, colour, drape and the way you carry it can create the entire look. Keep it elegant, comfortable and true to your individual style.
CREDITS
Pictures: Javed Ibrahim
Make-up: Suman Ganguly
Hair: Mousami Chhetri
Jewellery: Anki Bunki Aditi, Earthaments