While there is a designer in almost every nukkad in town these days, there isn’t much to choose from when it comes to kids’ clothes. It is to bridge this gap that Samta Arora and Shruti Agarwal came up with their own studio which designs children’s couture. Their kids wear is trendy, personalised and comfortable ensuring that the little ones look their stylish best for special occasions. The designers use fabrics like jute and raw silks apart from weaves like Chanderi and Benaras. From Princess gowns and half saris for girls to kurtas and dhotis for boys, they specialise in luxury festive clothing.
Starting out
Samta who worked with an advertising agency initially and later with an IT firm as a visualiser was always interested in fashion. She says, “Designing clothes was my passion which came instinctively be it colours, style or texture. When I moved to Hyderabad I saw a vacuum in this segment and slowly transmuted my passion into my profession.” She along with her friend Shruti, who had experience in textile industry started their own studio last year and have been going from strength to strength ever since. The duo has participated in the fourth season of Indian Kids Fashion Week in Mumbai which had designers from all over India.
Comfort is the muse
Shruti says that the fact that children had little options made her thinking out of the box. She says, “For kids what was available was either casual or very jarring. There was not much style available. As the kid’s age changes so do their silhouettes. We cannot dress up a one year old baby as a 10 year child or vice versa. The most important thing that we keep in mind is the comfort of the child. If the child is wearing a grand ensemble we make it a point to see it’s baby friendly.” The duo generally chooses pastel colour palettes to lend a dreamy look to their gowns, while for boys, they make Indian wear which is generally done up in bright shades keeping in mind the festivities.
Well coordinated
The duo take a keen interest in detailing and Shruti explains their creative process when she says, “Our garments are designed to engage your child’s imagination with styles canvassing western, ethnic and fusion styles while toying with classy, geometric and playful looks. This allows our garments to cater to a swathe of occasions and needs. So if your child needs a layered, classy outfit for a wedding ceremony or an edgy outfit for a birthday party, we’ve got your back! We enhance them by including gloves, tiaras, clips and hair bands!”
While they primarily design for children, for special occasions they make clothes for the entire family. They generally choose the same colours or motifs and use variations in cuts and designs to create a look for the entire family. Samta adds, “Our forte is basically for kids but we create for both the parents. We zero down on the kids outfit then develop for the parents.” Another distinguishing feature in their Indo-Western wear is that of multi functionality. Shruti says that their pieces have multiple utility and adds, “We like to tweak regular wear. So, we pair our ghagras with crop tops so that the kids can use it differently after a while. The crop top can go with jeans while the ghagra can be used as a skirt.”
Challenges and plans
Samta concedes that designing for kids is a great challenge. She explains, “We have to keep a few aspects in mind so that they are comfortable, free flowing and the final product should enhance their personality and most important they should look their age.” While most of their orders earlier were from social media, they have a studio in Somajiguda currently where they meet clients strictly on appointment. Samta says that they are planning to open a store next year while Shruti says they are looking forward to tie up with stores abroad as well as starting their own range of Indian menswear for adults.
Check out Studio Samta and Shruti on Instagram at @samtaandshrutistudio.
