“At Yarn, we believe that every sari, every piece of jewellery and every pair of footwear that you buy has a tale to tell,” says Lakshmy Suresh, getting articulate about her boutique, Yarn, which is being re-launched today.
She says the products stocked at Yarn have been made after working closely with artisans, designers and weavers from Auroville in Puducherry to Srirampur in West Bengal. Some of the works are rare and some forgotten, she adds.
Saris are a major attraction at Yarn. Pashmina silk saris from Kashmir, hand-painted Kalamkari saris, Mangalgiri saris and Narayanpet saris from Andhra Pradesh, Chanderi silk from Madhya Pradesh, Matka silk saris, Khesh cotton saris and Phulia cotton saris from West Bengal, Eri silk saris from Assam and Kandangi cotton saris from Tamil Nadu vie for attention.
A new addition at Yarn is its line of readymade garments, comprising kurtis and salwar sets. “We have worked with tribal groups in interior parts of Karnataka, Gujarat and West Bengal and have incorporated a wide range of embroidery done by them into the readymade items,” she says. This includes Kasuti embroidery, Lambani embroidery, Kutch embroidery and Kantha embroidery. Kurtis and salwar sets with block prints are also available.
Among the accessories is tribal metal jewellery from West Bengal, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan. Nizami style Kundan pieces and a collection of silver jhumkas are also available. Lambani jewellery made of cotton balls and Dokra jewellery made of brass and wooden beads are also available. Yarn also has footwear with exquisite Kalamkari designs and in vibrant hues.
“In fact I stepped into this field by designing Kalamkari footwear. Then I started collecting tribal jewellery before moving to saris,” says Lakshmy, who holds a masters in Industrial Psychology. She opened Yarn in 2012, while pursuing her postgraduation. “I had a passion for designing my own outfits. It was after opening the shop that I did a one-year course in fashion designing from Chennai and attended an entrepreneurship programme organised by Indian School of Business,” says the 24-year-old entrepreneur. She is all gratitude to designer Shalini James (of Mantra) who “has been guiding me throughout my career.”
Yarn moves to a new place near Dhanalakshmi Bank on the Cotton Hill School road. The new store opens at 5.30 p.m. today.
