Twenty five-year-old Bengaluru bespoke studio, Soulful Hues launches its e-store

Following in the footsteps of many a homegrown venture that has taken its business online is bespoke fashion label Soulful Hues. It was back in 1991 that it was launched, specialising in tailoring and hand embroidery, by Padmini Chandra who had a weakness for lush Benarasi textiles. Today, with her daughter Kavya joining the business, the 25-year-old company makes its online foray to tap into the new-age shopper, who likes everything at the click of a button.
“Today people look for everything on the Internet. So in order to make ourselves relevant, we decided to set up our e-store. We launched on Feb 10 and in barely a few weeks, we’ve got dozens of enquiries,” says Kavya. 

While Padmini’s affinity for Benarasi weaves is still evident across their collections, they also experiment with Chanderi fabrics, apart from tussar and chikankari. The website comprises a few hand-picked pieces that include saris, kurtas, unstitched sets and yardage. The pret section also has a line up of lehengas fashioned from textiles such as Kota silk, crepe silk and jute. 

A unique feature of the website in the ‘Sketchbook’ section through which you can get your ensemble customised as per your size and preferences. Simply choose from available options - lehengas, kurtas, blouses, dresses, skirts and tops. Then, you pick a style (say, The Vintage Blouse, from the blouses tab), following which you can pick a fabric or colour, feed in your size specifications and other details, and then click 'design complete'. The completed article of clothing will be delivered to you within 10 to 12 working days. Kavya is also working on an Indo-Western collection, think crop tops featuring Parsi gara embroidery, shorts made with Lucknowi fabrics, and brocade jackets, which should find their way to the e-store soon. 

Rs2,500 upwards. Details: soulfulhues.com