NEW DELHI: Indian wear brands that fit in the elusive stretch wherein luxury and minimalism intersect are few and far between. Since her brand Mishru’s inception in 2015, Hyderabad-based fashion designer Swapna Anumolu has played to her strengths—intricate details such as embroidery and handcrafted surface techniques—and has been successful in comfortably tucking her brand into said space.
In the process, she’s been able to expand her customer base that comprises modern women (and men) gravitating towards temperate flamboyance. Anumolu, who recently launched her collection Form & Feeling “that is inspired by nature, memories and feelings”, is all set to launch her flagship store in the city’s DLF Emporio, Vasant Kunj, on Friday. We speak to Mishru’s founder about her design philosophy, her reason for choosing Delhi to launch her second flagship store, and more.
Excerpts:
From launching Mishru in 2015 to now—with two stores, one in Hyderabad and another in Delhi—what has the brand’s journey and growth been like?
Our journey has been quite organic. We were only present in Hyderabad for a bit. But we made our debut on the runway [Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018] and I remember, all the multi-designer stores such as Ogaan, Ensemble, etc., showing interest in our collection. We were super excited at that point. Now, we have been available across the country for a long time. I think both Mumbai and Delhi love us and they respond very well to our designs, so we got that confidence to go ahead and open up our first flagship store [in Delhi].
In a pool of diverse brands that are a part of the Indian bridal and ethnic wear segment, how does Mishru aim to be different?
If you see our designs and surfaces, our embroidery is what, I would say, is very unique to us. All our surfaces are completely conceptualised and hand-drawn by us in our studio—you’d never see this embroidery anywhere else. Honestly, if you even went into the details of our embroidery, it is very original to us. I feel like people in India love our new surfaces, and that is what sets us apart. The event [Craft of Mishru is a part of the launch] in Delhi [on Friday] has a live demonstration by our master craftsmen of how our surfaces come to life.
Mishru—like the name suggests—is about the fusion of elements. What’s the design ethos primarily, and has it changed over time?
Definitely, we’ve evolved over time—I’ve grown as a designer, and there are things that one learns on the job. But one thing that’s unchanged is our artwork—it’s very graphic… you can actually see the shapes come together. Also, what our brand stands for is fusion. Even in this collection [Form & Feeling], we have a fusion of abstract elements with florals.
Delhiites are known to steer towards over-the-top designs especially in the bridal segment. Your pieces aren’t extremely ostentatious. How did you plan to open a flagship store here?
Our bridal pieces are statement pieces. We have done incredibly well in Delhi for years. In fact, we have a number of brides who travel from Delhi to Hyderabad to shop from us. That is what gave us confidence. Our customer base has always been extremely strong here.
What’s next for the brand?
We are working on something very fun for next season—it is going to be a proper, all-out couture collection… we have not done one after Form & Feeling, this is going to be it.