The city witnessed a dramatic number of weddings on Sunday, officially marking the advent of the shaadi season in Delhi-NCR. This means it is time to bring out one’s choicest outfits and jewellery and hunt for the perfect gift in case you’re attending a wedding.
To make things easier for you, Design One, an initiative by Sahachari Foundation—a charitable trust from Mumbai—is back in Delhi with their first offline exhibition. Meenakshi Bajaj, a founding member of the Foundation, said, “We have always wanted to promote lesser-known designers, and to do so while funding for the trust is beautiful.”
The two-day exhibition showcasing a curated list of home-grown designers and brands commenced at Raja and Rani Bagh in the Taj Palace, New Delhi on Tuesday. With the winter sun shining overhead, the lush green lawns—with 70 stalls—were teeming with fashion-forward people. Nisha Agarwal from New Friends Colony shared, “They curate unique designers that we do not usually find elsewhere.”
An array of designs
With up-and-coming brands and a host of designers, this exhibition has a range of products. Alongside known sartorial labels such as Payal Singhal, Punita Balana, and Mishru, one will find boutiques like A Touch of Gold from Hauz Khas Village, Studio Medium from Neb Sarai, and others. “Our artisans are a group of women from many communities in and around Delhi.
We are trying to uplift their livelihood,” said Riddhi Jain, founder of Studio Medium, a fashion brand that specialises in handwoven apparels using dying techniques like Shibori and Bandhani. Nalini Malhotra, the founder of A Touch of Gold, sources vintage embroideries from parts of Central Asia and Kashmir, and restores them to create contemporary outfits.
The exhibition is also presenting jewellery from brands such as luxury label Valliyan by Nitya Arora and other bespoke ones like Amarkosh Jewels, Jadau Jewellery by Falguni Mehta, and Kesya Jaipur. Kesya’s pieces fuse Art Deco style jewellery worn by Rajasthani royals with modern designs. Similarly, designs by Aditee Joaillerie by South Delhi resident Aditee Modi are made using precious stones. Modi shared that her pieces are both “light and playful”.
More than sartorial pieces
The exhibition also features a number of brands specialising in gifts. The Bling Edit had an array of luxury gifting products along with Bespoke Home Jewels by Minjal Jhaveri, who merges Indian home decor with semi-precious stones. Wrapistry, a brand from Pune by Amruta Walvekar, has a collection of luxury gift wrapping paper along with gift tags.
With versatile options, the exhibition covers from A to Z of any wedding shopper’s needs. Poonam Behel from Feroz Shah Road, who visited Design One’s exhibition for the first time, shared, “There are many interesting brands but I think they are slightly overpriced.”