CREDITS
Black and white woven stole : Urmul Marusthali Bunkar Vikaas Samiti. Bought this at Dilli Haat and while it is meant as a “home furnishing”, specifically a “tablecloth”, I can’t get myself to put it to use there – hence stole! A nice, light summer stole for colder air-conditioned offices. I’m wearing it purely for decoration purposes in this story but after the shoot, when I was in just shirt and trouser, it helped me to stay warmer when I wrapped it around my shoulders. And they have a website! Their products are hand-woven and fair trade weaving from a society of weavers in Western Rajasthan. ( The fair trade claim is from their website, I have no proof )
Jade Green quilted silk jacket by Tokree Jaipur by Sanyukta Singh : Tokree was started by Sanyukta in 2011 at Ranthambore. They sell home decor, handicrafts and of course clothes. Sanyukta used to work with Sabyasachi Mukherjee prior to launching her own store. The jade green quilted silk jacket I’m wearing is a free size and can be styled in various ways – allows for an overlap for a tight fit during winters, closed up by a belt. I love pockets so I’m glad this one has two. The Jackets are made with pure 60gms silk, they are textured using the Quilting method. They are quilted with pure cotton-wool – almost 800gms of cotton-wool is quilted in the jacket. The Jackets are Made In Jaipur by local artisans at the Tokree karkhana. They are dyed after being stitched therefore can be dyed to a colour of your choice. These pieces are handmade and each quilter takes a little more than a day to quilt one jacket. A single person works on one jacket at a time to avoid quilting differences in a single piece and each piece is unique in its texturing. The jacket is available in various colours and Tokree can be found online : Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Store
Denim wide-leg Seventies trouser and Bougainvillea shirt by The Jodi Life : The denim trousers feature an abstract print, wide-legs, printed waist-band, zip/hook closures at front, and front pockets ( back pockets are not real pockets ). High waist, unlined. This piece is hand-blocked printed via traditional printers based in Gujarat, India. It’s a tricky fit but I decided to take a chance on these custom-made trousers because how fabulous are they! I love them and will be wearing them with even more interest once I’ve lost some weight – the slight paunch doesn’t help the high-wasted look of this trouser – ideal for a slim frame. The Bougainvillea print shirt is made of cotton cambric, with a Chinese collar, front button placket, full sleeves with indigo detailing. This piece is hand-blocked printed via traditional printers based in Jaipur, India. I don’t mind more button-up shirts in my wardrobe EVER. Can be teamed with so many things. The next time I wear this shirt, there’s going to be a white jacket involved, when I’m headed to an event or a meeting. JODI is an India based fashion label designing womenswear and accessory collections featuring bold colours and graphic prints, they can be found at the following links : Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Deco Love Gold Juttis by Fizzy Goblet : These are so comfortable! For a casual afternoon brunch ( when I don’t have to drive ) or a lazy afternoon picnic on the grass. The Fizzy Goblet studio is located in Mumbai. It takes around 7-12 days for them to create a pair of shoes, depending on the intricacy involved. The construction is pure leather ( and cloth depending on what pair you’re purchasing ) and it is completely handcrafted by skilled artisans. Laksheeta, who started the brand, has done her BA (H) in fashion designing from Pearl Academy of Fashion, Delhi and has worked with brands like Puma as a graphic designer. Fizzy Goblet was born from a love of Indian crafts and the lack of fun, affordable and comfortable footwear available. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Leather Midi Backpack by Aditi Dhar of Vitasta Design : I have featured Aditi’s work on the blog earlier and I have to say that the quality of the workmanship has improved immensely. The difference between what I saw on the Antler Angie here and what I see on the Midi Backpack is startling. Great progress Aditi and lovely to see your brand do so well! The bag has a structured minimal silhouette made in vegetable tanned leather and takes about 8 hours to make from scratch. It is made in a combination of hand and machine stitch. The grommet details of weaving and punching are used to emphasize the human touch, and create a more personal story in the making of the bag. All their leather is sourced from local tanneries in Kolkata and Chennai. The Lining is an Indigo ikat fabric, which has been used for all their SS15-16 collections. The Ikat adds a pop of colour against the monochromatic palette of the collection. Aditi is a graduate of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She started her design career with Mexx International, Holland and went on to work with some of the top brands in the country including HiDesign, and Wills lifestyle. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Leather belt by HiDesign HQ and silver bracelet ( featured here earlier ) by Amrapali Jewels.
Photographs by Bharat
About the #MadeInIndia Feature : I reached out to these brands specifically to put this story together. I prefer to buy local but more than that I prefer to buy quality, regardless of the geographical location. After the #EyesForNewYork project, I realized that while in America there really aren’t many Made In America brands, India has a plethora of Made In India ones. There are a few brands in India who are trying and succeeding to produce quality work while keeping with Indian fabrics and techniques with a more complex, nuanced approach. Made by hand, made at production units that are located in India, made by Indian artisans and crafts people and most of all, made with top notch quality in mind at every step. Products I would love to have in my wardrobe. Products I would love to wear again and again.
The first two editions have been a barter feature but I have added a minimal payment to it for upcoming features considering the amount of work that goes into photographing, post-production and most of all, the time spent in coordinating everything and making it happen. These are not my corporate rates but something more equivalent to what we would pay for a meal for two on a date. I ask brands to send specific products from their lookbooks for me to keep. Some send what I’d ask for, some send more. It takes about a month to put together one #MadeInIndia feature starting from the day I send out pitch emails to to the day I publish the feature on the blog.
If you or someone you know runs a 1-2 person product brand that fits the above category, please share this feature with them and if they are interested in a barter + miminal part payment feature, they can email me on [email protected]. Disclaimer : Inclusion is entirely at my discretion, based primarily on the quality of the products and the size of the team as well as how old the brand is – newer brands who could benefit from a showcase on the Naina.co platform are preferred. Established brands are welcome to email me on [email protected] to find out more about how much I charge and what kind of stories I can do.
I will also be featuring each product separately so that you can see them up close, in detail. I’m planning to feature one product every two days in the coming week. After the massive response to the first #MadeInIndia feature, I have created a dedicated page for the #MadeInIndia stories on the blog now.
UPDATE : Quilted Silk Jackets by Tokree Jaipur
UPDATE : Hand-blocked Bougainvillea shirt & Denim trousers by The Jodi Life
UPDATE : Gold Deco Love juttis by Fizzy Goblet
