07 September,2014 09:20 AM IST | | Shreyanka Mazumdar
Pune residents Geetu Garg, an IT specialist, and Ritu Garg, a former chartered accountant, have given the good, old Lucknowi Chikankari designs a couture spin through their fashion venture, Sutra's
Q. How and when did you set up Sutra's?
A. We hail from Kanpur, which is approximately one hour away from Lucknow, where the traditional embroidery style of Chikankari was born. We have been lucky to closely watch thousands of artisans at work in this rich nawabi craft. We felt this ancient needlecraft deserved more prominence. So, after moving to Pune, we thought of popularising this handiwork through our label Sutra's, which was set up in January last year.
Geetu and Ritu Garg
Q. What is the USP of your designs?
A. Initially, we started with readymade kurtis, anarkalis and saris, but thanks to our talented team of kaarigars (artisans), now we have started designing, embroidering and customising designs for daily wear, party wear and wedding trousseaus. Our main focus is on Chikankari that we handpick from Lucknow and Gota from Jaipur. Hand-painted shawls and stoles too are available during winters. For us, customer comes first and we want to offer them bespoke designs on authentic fabrics.
Tara Sharma sports a design by Sutra's
Q. What are the new additions to your collection?
A. Digitally printed crepe kurtis and Gota cut work blouses are the top sellers. Apart from those, pure georgette saris and Chanderi suit materials are always in demand. We are also customising lehengas for our recently launched wedding collection.
Q. What are your future plans?
A. We want to set up an exclusive design studio featuring traditional haute couture. We are also keen to expand globally and see more people flaunting India's rich handiwork.
For inquiries or orders, check out Sutra's Facebook page
