Inspired from the beauty and grace which personifies the Devnaagri women, Delhi-based designer duo Priyanka and Kavita Jain have come up with an extravagant couture line, titled Alfaaz. “This collection explores the unseen side of the romantic ambition of the Devnaagri women, which has never been shown in our previous collections,” reveals Kavita.
Alfaaz amalgamates the contemporary and the traditional through colours and the placement of embroideries. For instance, one of the shararas in the collection flaunts the Pakistani embroidery form of gota patti. Kavita explains, “Gota patti is symbolic of the romantic feel of the Devnaagri tribe. There’s a whole lot of coloured resham that we’re using this time, and fabrics like mashru, which is soft glistening from outside but inside it gives a cotton feel. All the amalgamation of the techniques, fabric and the colours brings about a real rich quality in the kind of pieces we’ve been able to create.” The use of sheer organza further enhances the uncomplicated romance of the garments to give these a festive charm.
The collection also reflects the traditional technique of tie-and-dye, especially some of the dupattas and blouses. “Both the tie-and-dye and gota patti techniques add lustrousness to the collection,” adds Kavita.
The colour palette ranges from fuchsia to red plum, apricot blushes to twilight blues. The duo has also introduced the darker hues of emerald green and black. The motifs aren’t inspired from anything in particular. Rather these use the traditional gota patti and twisting it to bring in different shapes.
The label Devnaagri is the brainchild of the duo who embody the spirit of the Devnaagri woman themselves. Hailing from an apparel business background with an experience of nearly a quarter of a century doing just that, these ladies draw inspiration from everything that draws a tasteful colour palette. They believe, nothing inspires better than experiences learnt from everyday life. After successfully working in their family business, the duo decided to channelise their creativity into an avenue, more tuned to their interest. And that’s how Devnaagri was born.
Talking about their journey, Kavita shares, “It has been an exciting one as we are evolving with every collection. We’re happy to have reached where we are today. Moving ahead, we have bettered ourselves while catering to a larger audience.
At: Devnaagri, 6A, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi