“It is a mini Holi out here,” laughs Jemima Victor, as she describes her friend Stefi Mendoza’s vibrant collection of desi wear. The young designers have displayed their accessories and garments at Fashionista, a lifestyle exhibition, on at The Residency. Jemima showcases Chervil, a collection of paper quilled jhumkas. And, Stefi sells Merchant Mama, a range of radiant lehengas, saris and blouses.
Stefi loves colours and feels that “instead of running behind Western attires, we must run behind Indian ones”. An engineering graduate from PSG College of Technology, Stefi knew she was never going to do anything related to what she was studying. So, she went on to study fashion in Bangalore. She still remembers her first creation. “It was a quirky, neon-coloured kurta with asymmetrical cuts. I loved those colours and patterns!”
Tejaswi Deorukhkar, another young designer, is from Bangalore. Her brand, IDK Women, consists of trendy tunics in georgettes; some of them sport digital prints. “These are customised by us. So, you will never find them anywhere else,” she assures. Her brand is available at Amazon and Jabong too. “This is my first time in Coimbatore. I hope to get a pulse of the crowd in these three days,” she says. That’s because Tejaswi plans to open a store in Coimbatore soon.
The fashion scene for young designers is picking up, says Reena Dhamaja, a cub designer from Indore, who is inspired by Nature. “People come up with original ideas.” Reena sports a sherwani and palazzo pant. “The sherwani has made a comeback, among women and men.” Reena also stocks ready-to-wear saris, half-saris and tops.
Sanrachna Collections from Jaipur also stocks cotton, block-printed palazzo pants. Their ikat saris and kurta materials look elegant. Some of the saris feature ‘convent’ embroidery, and are priced upwards of Rs. 2,500.
Aparna Hundekar, who designs garments for children, is back this time with her ‘Fairy Collection’. Aparna, who started her business from the basement of her house, is a familiar face at Fashionista. “Neon frocks are in this time,” she says. Her baby gaghras, in pretty pinks and purples, look adorable.
The jewellery section looks terribly tempting. Jhumkas, silver bangles and semi-precious necklaces pose stiff competition to the garments.
There are home décor stalls too. Those classy dinner sets and table mats and runners might be the perfect buy to spruce up your dining table. And, on your way out, you can pick up those funky, ethnic mobile pouches at All Things Sundar.
Fashionista is on till December 7 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
