Gara for the non-Parsi at Ashdeen Lilaowala’s new store

The heirloom embroidery that found a modern iteration with designer Ashdeen Lilaowala now gets a flagship store in Delhi

White cranes that usually spread their wings across silk saris are picked out on the stone steps leading up to designer Ashdeen Z Lilaowala’s flagship store in Delhi’s swish Defence Colony. Rosettes with golden petals make their way from creamy tulles to hand-painted pink walls. The space, which threw open its doors earlier this month, has been designed to reflect the design aesthetic of the man credited for giving the Parsi gara a new lease of life. “Ashdeen’s embroidery is very delicate, so to reflect that we had a miniature painter from Rajasthan do detail-oriented paintings using gold and silver foil,” explains Punit Jasuja, interiors artist and events designer. “When you step in, you should feel like you’re walking into Ashdeen’s world — fine, detailed, precise, and hand done.” The colour palette is dominated by pastel pinks and greyish purples, while the black-and-white chequered floor is representative of the boldness of the brand.

We are curious why Lilaowala — who launched his label six years ago, and has mostly shown at exhibitions and Crafts Council initiatives — decided to put down roots. “We have grown, with a large range of products to offer. We wanted our clients to have easy access to them, in an ambience created to relax,” he says.

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Changing codes

Gara is an amalgamation of Oriental and Persian aesthetics with Indian embroidery, a result of the Parsi trade with the Chinese. And Lilaowala, 38, knows his stitches. Besides observing his mother and elder sisters using gara throughout his childhood, between 2005 and 2006, he travelled to China and Iran with the UNESCO Parzor Foundation, researching its origin and development for the Ministry of Textiles. Since then the NID alumnus has given the chinoiserie, Persian symbols and intricate florals and fauna a contemporary update.

However, Lilaowala, who works with over 150 skilled artisans, says he has never tried to consciously focus on pandering to trends or selling to a younger audience. “I’m a textile designer. I visualise a sari much better than a dress. It’s more couture,” he says. So while he did a few gowns in his first collection, and occasionally outfits the stars (most recently, he draped Sonam Kapoor in

Sanju ), he prefers to stick to his strengths. But he does customise a few separates, from

kurtas to jackets. This season, he worked on an

angarkha jacket, a short club design, and the classic Chinese three-fourth.

Form and style

He believes there is growing appreciation for handcrafted products among young Indians. “Since launching our label, we’ve been re-interpreting the gara repertoire of motifs by changing the fabric, playing with the size of motifs, and the colours,” he says. The designer collaborated with Ekaya (Bharat Shah’ bespoke brand) in 2016, for a collection handwoven in Benaras and, over the years, he has also worked with tulles, tissues, chanderi,maheshwari and khadi. “We tend to work with rich jewel tones a lot, as the embroidery stands out, but we have also done a pastel collection, and colourful gara on off-white.” This has won him clients from across communities, from Marwaris to South Indians.

Through it all, the crane motif has been his favourite, and he tries to use it every season. “The crane is always in movement, and with its wings spread, it looks so elegant. I’ve used it in many forms — from a sari with a big crane on it to dancing cranes. We’ve played with size, we’ve added beads, pearls and sequins...” A crane sari was also exhibited at the recent ‘New Traditions: Influences & Inspirations in Indian Textiles’ exhibition in Jaipur, curated by Mayank Mansingh Kaul.

A case for culture

Lilaowala also envisions his store as a space to promote Parsi art and culture. A section, with moveable, interactive racks, will be used to display works by artists, photographers and non-Parsis working on themes centred around Parsi culture, as pop-up exhibitions. By the end of the year, he is planning to host the works of ceramic artist Shirley Bhatnagar, who is developing a new series of Parsi-themed ceramic figurines. “We plan to invite children to watch craftspersons here, and get them excited about hand embroidery, and develop a certain appreciation and sensitivity, so that they know everything in life is not about phones and machines,” he concludes.

Clutches from ₹8,000 to ₹12,000, and garments between ₹45,000 and ₹75,000. Details: ashdeen.com