I n the year since it first opened its doors, Vedhika boutique redefined the style maxims of the city with its innovative takes on ethnic wear. As the store celebrates its first anniversary with ‘Made In India’, a mega fashion show, today, designer Maithri Anand talks about how the boutique continues to draw inspiration from the weaves of India. Excerpts from an interview.. .
The name: ‘Made In India’ celebrates the legacy of Indian textiles. We have interpreted this legacy with our own styling that aims to seamlessly blend the best of one weaving tradition with another.
The inspiration: India’s amazing variety of textiles and weaves, not to mention the wealth of craftsmanship, much of which is still untapped. We’re also celebrating the human element behind the designs – the skill of the karigars (artisans), the soul of the fabric...we’re weaving stories here. International design houses are nowadays looking to India for inspiration. It’s high time we look inward into our own world of weaves.
The show: It will showcase the infinite possibilities of blending India’s weaves together, drawing inspiration from royalty, culture, heritage and tradition. It is a collection that celebrates India’s colours and creativity. There will be four rounds, each with various sub-collections. One round to look out for is the ‘Om round’ that showcases saris, kurtas, blouses and the like themed on the primary mantra.
New collections: We’re soft launching two new collections – Kalyanam and Couture. While Kalyanam celebrates the bridal weaves of India, Couture is all about marrying international styling with ethnic designs. In the Kalyanam collection you’ll see graceful and opulent ensembles – for the entire wedding entourage – in a play of colours such as Rani pink, Peacock blue, Mango yellow, Turmeric orange, and so on. The couture is a stylish blend of different weaves, designs, textiles and textures. For example, we have flowy, sleeveless silk gowns, layered with golden net, with contrast Benares borders and matching bolero, long-sleeve jackets. Incidentally, the gowns can be turned into extra-long anarkalis.
Special weave: Kerala kasavu is such a versatile fabric. We’re constantly exploring the myraid ways in which it can be mixed with different weaving and craft traditions of the country such as zardosi, hand embroidery, Kalamkari and so on.
The detailing: God lies in the detailing! Each garment is hand-made by our in-house craftsmen. The beauty of Indian textiles means that for one garment we can match silk from Bhubaneswar with beads from Rajasthan or borders from Varanasi or Kalamkari yokes, maybe block prints from Kolkata...
