Kaveri Lalchand isn’t a fashion designer and she doesn’t want you to call her that either. The founder of K Clothing, located in Kodambakkam and available online, offers a motley collection of quirky clothing and jewellery. Since the store opened in 2011, Kaveri’s mission has been to create niche, well-fitting and good-quality clothing at affordable prices. She doesn’t want the clothes to just be trendy, but also make one feel comfortable and confident. “I’ve been to parties where women are sitting uncomfortably, unsure of whether their garment is about to slip off their shoulder or if the neckline is too revealing. You need a garment with a little extra space if you want to eat dessert,” explains Kaveri.
“My concept of ‘happy size’ is such that you can sit without worrying that your stomach is sticking out or that your top is falling off your shoulder. When I make a kurti, I know just where to start the slit — right below the hip — to flatter an Indian woman’s curves.”
Linen, a material uncommon in department stores and a modest industry within India, is the textile of Kaveri’s preference. The linen used at K Clothing is sourced from Kolkata and is hand woven from yarn imported from Belgium. “Linen is perfect for Indian weather; it absorbs moisture from the skin and the fabric itself breathes. I feel that good-quality linen, when used more and more, gets stronger and more comfortable.”
She is to reveal her latest collection, made of linen and titled ‘Dance in the Rain’, later this week in Mumbai. The clothes convey a spirit of spontaneity and liberation — the symbolic manifestation of monsoon. The collection is based around the dying technique of lehariya from Gujarat, which creates a wave-like effect. It is most commonly seen on lighter fabrics like chiffon, georgette and silk, but Kaveri decided to employ it on the heavier linen. Kaveri’s clothing is reflective of her pan-Indian influences. She is of Sindhi heritage, lives and designs in Chennai, and creates garments reflecting prints and styles from Rajasthan and Kerala to Bihar. Her clothing combines old-school, traditional Indian processes of weaving, looming and dying with new-age, modern interpretations of shape, structure and form. The garments are “east meets west” but, unconventionally, can be worn either as Indian wear, western wear or a mix of both.
According to Kaveri’s estimate, she has showcased her work in 150 exhibitions around the country. “Apart from Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Calcutta, I’ve done shows in smaller cities like Nagpur, Kanpur, Coimbatore and Ludhiana.” In the next five months, she has another thirty showcases scheduled in places ranging from Zirakpur to Singapore.
Despite the success of her brand, the processing, tailoring, embellishing and shipping occurs within two floors of the same building in the bustling heart of the city. So right below the level where the final collections are displayed, are two rows of tailors happily hammering away on sewing machines.
