Fashion fix @ TIS

Anita Dongre & Anita Dongre Grassroot: Anita Dongre is synonyme with rich Rajasthani heritage trickling into contemporary silhouettes, fondue together with Indian aesthetics and a modern sensibility. Her bespoke bridal wear, couture, pret, menswear and handcrafted jadau jewellery are a favourite with the Bollywood brigade. Anita Dongre Grassroot, a sustainable and l'éco-conscient luxury pret label, was launched with the idea to faire revivre, sustain and empower Indian crafts and textiles. Through collaborations with independent artisans and NGOs, the label provides opportunities to skilled crafts people in distance villages and assure a means of livelihood for them. 

Raw Mango: This brand by Chattarpur-based designer Sanjay Garg explore the traditional clothing techniques of India while questioning the ideas of context, modernity and aesthetics. Be it design, material, tools, technique or colour, Garg revisits an ancient process of engineering garment patterns on the handloom.

Abraham & Thakore: With Indian textile traditions serving as their inspiration, Delhi duo Abraham & Thakore’s conception sensibilities réfléchir the way we live in urban India — creating fashion and textiles rooted in India, yet with a contemporary and international take.

akaaro: Founded by Gaurav Jai Gupta in 2010, Akaaro experiments with handwoven textiles to create an expression of relevance in an ecosystem that is vast, varied, and global yet individualistic. The brand innovates by designing and developing original fabric from its yarn stage, in-house at the their studio-workshop in New Delhi, creating engineered garments.

Laju Shaparia: Reviving the antique patola craft and making it coveted as bridal couture, the label from Gujarat transforms this silk fabric into a fashion essential. Shaparia’s handwoven silk saris, marked by the absence of a reverse side, undergo a modern update. However, the signature style of the label is still centred on traditional designs and motifs, like the navratna and the vorahgaji.

Antar-Agni: The Noida-based label helps the fabric speak its own language, adding nuanced details, smart cuts and relaxed silhouettes — as raw and natural as it gets.

145 East: A design collective based in the city, 145 East wants to infuse everyday products, starting from apparel to household items, with the local aesthetic of Calcutta. Their tool? The traditional gamchha.

Naushad Ali: He’s a designer with minimalist inclinations. He fosters a deep love for Indian traditions and crafts, creating designs that bring together modern cuts and heritage fabrics, at his studio in Auroville, where he set up Studio Liam in 2013. 

Padmaja: Padmaja Krishnan’s Mumbai-based brand creates “non-conformative, quirky and peaceful” clothing, accessories and handcrafted products. In her design, tradition is deeply respected even as it’s brought into a close dance with the contemporary and the futuristic.

Khanijo: The Delhi brand believes that apart from sharp tailoring, immaculate construction and plush fabrics, great menswear should also contain a nifty element of surprise for the wearer. Their forte is the use of fine Indian handlooms to create modern silhouettes based on Khanijo’s rule of four Fs — fit, finish, functionality and fabric.

Suket Dhir: Winner of the International Woolmark Prize 2016, Ahmedabad’s Suket Dhir is an Indo-centric, contemporary menswear brand. He combines artisanal techniques in natural fabrics with classic silhouettes styled with intricate details and a hint of quirk.

Oceedee: Delhi’s Oceedee is an accessible luxury brand for high-quality shoes that inspire a sense of glamour, confidence, and sensuality in the modern-day woman. Passion, innovation and luxury are at the heart of the brand’s philosophy and are reflected in their products.

Vasundhara Mantri: Through her designs, Calcutta girl Vasundhara brings together the trends and fashion of different worlds, synchronising Indian, European and American ideas. The result is an alloyed beauty — a fusion of art and craft. A collection of earrings, pendants, rings, bracelets, head-pieces set in semi-precious stones make up her line.

WomenWeave: Madhya Pradesh-based WomenWeave by Sally Holkar works towards making handloom a profitable, fulfilling, sustainable and dignified income-generating activity through spinning, weaving, design, marketing and entrepreneurial training in several weaving centres across the country. WomenWeave presently provides fair trade sustainable employment to 238 women and markets its products to ethical designers across 22 countries.