When it comes to the exhibitions with big names, Fashion Yatra is one to be reckoned with. And multi-designer store Angasutra has, over the years, established a platform that designers can vouch for. The lady known for both these ventures is Kamini Saraf. After she got married and moved to Hyderabad she began with single-designer pop-ups of labels from Kolkata. Since then, Yatra, which is now completed its 14th year, has only grown from strength to strength. “I remember starting with showcases comprising a few designers at banquet halls of five-star hotels. Increasingly, all of it started becoming a huge rage,” recollects Kamini.
She started getting calls for exhibitions from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, so she decided to host small trunk shows. “Fashion Yatra certainly became famous as it was built on rather unique ideas,” shares Kamini, explaining how she earned the popular moniker, ‘Yatra Lady’. She added another feather to her cap a few months ago, when she and celebrity designer Manish Malhotra opened the latter’s first standalone store here. Located in Jubilee Hills, this palatial outlet houses everything from the celebrity designer under one roof and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it is nothing short of palatial. “It took the store a year and a half to be ready. Now, we are planning to launch a new range of collection in jewellery. We would also want to add to the make-up options. Home and furnishing will also be brought to the fore as well,” she says. Kamini has also been instrumental in getting niche pop-ups like that of Woven Gold From The Gyaser Tradition by Swati and Sunaina who got their orient-inspired weaves to the city. “My dream has always been to work with exquisite weaves,” says Kamini, who founded Angasutra along with partner Shalini Sharma. “When Tarun Tahiliani or Shantanu and Nikhil opened doors in Hyderabad, I was there as a friend,” shares the founder who has since 2008 collaborated with top-notch designers in the city and some of the biggest fashion houses like Louis Vuitton to Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs.