KOCHI: For Fort-Kochi-based clothing store Aambal, the past one-and-half a year was a trying experience. Their primary clientele, the foreign tourists were largely absent due to the Covid pandemic. To tide over the difficult period and to attract more domestic customers, the multi-branded store has released a new collection entirely in cotton and linen fabric with some added tweaks to the quintessential Aambal designs.
“We opened the store after a hiatus induced by Covid. The new set of collections released during Onam was entirely done in cotton and linen. The price starts from Rs 2,000. We took a step away from making handloom attires for the time being, as they might be a bit expensive for a large section of society.
The collection has also some new colour ranges we shied away from previously,” says Sandeep Johnson, founder of the store .The new collection designed by fashion designer Tiby Joy spots bright and popping colours like deep reds and greens. From the usual dull, pastel and pale shades, this is quite a change. With vibrant colours and comfortable minimalistic designs, Aambal hopes to catch the eyes of the young Malayali crowd.
The men and women’s collection has dresses, skirts, kurtas, and pants in varied colour range suitable for every occasion. The store has brought back some of the earlier favourites also for the new season. Ann, Sandeep’s wife and store manager says though the time is hard, they are hoping for a revival on the sales this year. “The new men’s collection is already moving fast. The wide range of comfortable designs in kurtas and pants seem to be catching on with the new clients,” she adds.