BENGALURU: There's a saying that good shoes will take you to good places. This streak of faith in the future is possibly what Akanksha Chhabra and Aarti Chhabra, sisters and cofounders of artisan jutti brand Pastels and Pop, had in mind when they came up with their Spring Summer 2021 collection - Promise of Tomorrow. The collection primarily draws inspiration from nature.
“We carefully picked vivid colours like fuchsia pink and ink blue, as well as soothing, pastel shades like pale pink, ice blue and nudes in this collection to imbibe a sense of happiness and positivity as soon as you look at them,” says Akanksha, whose designs have been worn by actors such as Sonam Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Kirti Kulhari and others.
The collection of six pairs of juttis features striking floral patterns embroidered on the fabric, which includes silks, organic cottons, linen and organza. Other elements that stand out are the embellishments - hand-cut sequins, Czech glass beads, deliver pearls, colo u r f u l anchor threads and beads. Promise of Tomorrow is a dedication to the karigars, Akanksha says. “Many of our karigars hail from Bihar, West Bengal etc. They are away from their homes, and are concerned for their family’s safety. They have shown us how, even in these bleak and depressing times, hope for a happier future can still be harboured,” says Akanksha.
Asked why the collection was being launched in a situation that resulted in the government imposing a lockdown, and whether the new designs would have any takers, Akanksha says, “We were supposed to launch the Spring Summer 2012 collection on April 12 but it got delayed due to the situation. If we don’t launch it now, it will be unfair to the hard work our karigars have put in.”
The launch has now been scheduled for May 21. Last year, the sisters were involved in many charitable activities to provide supplies to frontline workers. “This year we have not started yet. Once the collecti on i s launched and sales starttaking place, we plan to figure how we can go about with our CSR activity, ” Akanksha says.