A graphic designer by profession, Yuti Shah Edward used to be happiest when she doodled. A scribbling pad was her favourite companion during the weekend getaways to tribal hamlets. It was Atul Edward, her husband, who realised her potential and encouraged her to quit the job and take art more seriously. Three months after she quit her job, she did an exhibition of her sketches and earned rave reviews from art buffs. Yuti thus decided to make wearable art and started Udd, a Hindi word which in English translates to fly.
“The most interesting part of this venture is that I can create for a much larger scale rather than just for a small print advertisement,” said Yuti. The fact that there is neither a deadline to be chased nor any rules to be followed gives the artist just the happy space she needs let her creative juices flow.
Every phase of the production is followed up either by Yuti or Atul. The sourcing and production decisions are managed by Atul while Yuti takes care of the design, the printing and everything else that goes into making of an Udd fabric. “We just need the raw fabrics to print on, everything else is done by us,” said the 27 year-old Mumbai-based designer. Designing on all kinds of garmets – sarees, half sarees, skirts and dupattas, the arist has now also expanded to fabric jewellery.
Talking about the team behind Udd, Yuti shares, “The brand right now has about five artisans. Though small in number, it is highly spirited.” The brand has also been instrumental in acting as a platform for like-minded and creative individuals. Besides the in-house artists, three other designers collaborate with them on the fabric-jewellery, mehndi manchali and panchi Udd designs.
The flamboyant half-saree
The half-saree range of Udd is available in colours which are bold but not blinding. Ranging from fuchsia pink, lemon yellow, bright purple, and fluorescent oranges and blue, they leave a soothing effect. The colours are matched to give the effect of borders and motifs on the traditional long skirt worn with a blouse and a dupatta. Mostly Indian motifs feature on these designer pieces. In fact, the motifs are the reason for an aesthetic look of these miniature versions of an Indian saree. Some of her favourite and famous motifs are the Matsya, Buddha, Durga, Radha-Krishna and Lotus feet. However, its not just the motifs that Yuti loves to work on. Even the tassels which she lovingly calls ‘Udd latkans’ are extremely detailed with hand-embroidery, beads, and ghungroos. Every part of an Udd fabric is carefully chosen and grafted to make an exquisite piece of art.
Dupatta ‘malmal’ ka
The beautiful mehndi manchali printed dupattas made of mal – a soft cotton fabric – are one of the many hot sellers designed by Yuti. The designs possess an Indian soul but that doesn’t mean they are not fashionable. The designs are contemporary and fashionable such that you can pair them up with kurtis, t-shirts and a skirt too. The lotus-pond, the paisleys and checks are also some of their oft used patterns. The detailing of borders with beads and knots is strikingly impressive.
The cotton dupattas of Udd are priced between Rs 2500 and Rs 2800 and the silk ones at Rs 3600. The sarees are available both in cotton and silk, starting at Rs 9000 onwards and the silver jewellery range starts at Rs 3500.
The next step
The art-savvy designer is now working on sarees and skirts for kids giving in to popular requests from patrons. Yuti takes special orders too, provided she has the creative freedom.
She recently completed a bridal wear assignment where she designed a ghaghra-choli and a half saree with absolutely no intrusion from the bride, which only goes to show the trust her clients have in her. “Most of our clients understand our brand and the design sensibilities and hence are happy with the final outcome,” she explains.
While fairly popular among the Indian shopping lot, Udd has a wider client base among the NRIs. “The overseas market is a very promising market. People from France have also shown interest in our designs,” says Yuti.
With no store per say, other than an online presence, Udd is a significant indicator of the market topography in the future. “The brand doesn’t have any retail outlets and operates online mainly. We have not planned too much. We just go with the flow and take things as they come.”
Apart from that, Udd has made its presence at a few selected shows like the Kala Ghoda Arts festival at Mumbai.
Details: facebook.com/pages/UDD; uddfabricdesign.wordpress.com
