CHENNAI: Vrisa by Rahul and Shikha Mangal will present Samarkhand, a collection inspired by the Silk Route Era, at the Amethyst, beginning Wednesday. Samarkhand has been inspired by the embroidery pattern that has its origin in Uzbekistan. Suzani embroidery, however, has been adopted with appliqué technique. Colourful and detailed with motifs of sun and moon, flowers, birds, fruits, leaves and vines on kurtis, jackets, maxis and anarkalis, paired with cotton palazzos and flared skirts, Samarkhand, yet again, is a theme-driven design collection by the couple.
Talking to CE, Shikha says, “Vrisa has always focused on theme-based shows. Our earlier show, Charkha, was a tribute to handloom. Now, with Samarkhand, we have been inspired by the embroidery pattern, which is popular in the region.”
Vrisa has three lines of its clothing — international show collection, basic collection and the fashion week collection like Samarkhand. Based in Jaipur, Virsa works closely with craftspersons from across the country like those in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra. Driven by research and with a focus on highlighting Indian-ness, the three-year-old label takes an organic route towards design. “We ensure the dyes are natural and at times, make the fabric from the scratch. Samarkhand also takes a lot of inspiration from the traditional embroidery,” she says.
Shikha says that Vruisa, which gets its name from Lord Krishna, focuses on using textiles to adorn a woman to look beautiful. “Not everyone has a model-like body, but here are ways in which we can drape her to make her fall in love with her physique and love her appearance, rather than make her scantily clad to make her look sensuous,” she says.
Samarkhand is on display till July 29 from 11.00 am to 8 pm at Amethyst, Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai-14. Call 044 45991630/31/32. The collection is priced at Rs 15,000 onwards.