When craft meets couture, the cause propels it forward to a level where the appreciation of artistic apparel and the acquisition of it is as appealing as the takeaways from chosen craft from faraway lands. In this case, it was Kutch that was at the epicenter of a recent exhibition at Ekru, the designer store helmed by Ruchira Kandhari and Ekta Jaipuria, the talented duo who created luxury prêt, became a part of the National Fashion circuit and who have a dedicated workshop with over 100 artisans, tying up as they do with different weavers and embroiders in rural Bengal, while young ideas come from a team of talented designers from renowned fashion schools. Their own flagship store opened in 2014 and is housed in an early 20th century building, elegantly restored.

The recent “Rann of Kutch” brought not just the famed tie and dye and ikkat, exclusive patolas from Gujarat and colorful embroidered products from Kutch, but it also saw a number of hand-picked designers and craftspeople on a single platform to showcase their wares and have a “true interaction of craft and couture,” according to the Craft Couture founder and fashion designer Rashmi Chowdhary, who curated the whole show and who has also instituted the Goat Post Awards. That evening the Goat (acronym for Gallery of All Things) Post award went to Gargi Bhattacharya who is working tirelessly for “special powers” children.

Of course there was a showcasing of Ekru’s Spring Summer ’19 collection in whites and pastels, which were complemented by the rest of the fashion lines from others. There was fine jewelry from brand Limited Edition with their charming bird earrings, Sari Ki almari with eclectic sarees, sRjana with her elaborate handmade sarees combining embroidery from Karnataka with Bengal, Sharmi’s patachitra products which translated on to jugs and teapots and handcrafted masks; Pondicherry Pottery and Klay Katha which had special ceramic and clay items; and Fleur de Lis with well packaged elegant gifting solutions, the dreamy white appliqued creations for bedspreads and cushions, from Kartik Chauhan, and organic fashion clothing sat in quiet splendor on one rack from Soul Space, were amongst the many wares that found buyers and interactive audiences. Most of the range of products had comfortable price points, except if you wanted to spend a lakh on a double, Ikkat-patola. More such interactive craft-couture displays are planned in future, but the store retains its continuing in-house innovation with couture and invited jewelry.

When craft meets couture, the cause propels it forward to a level where the appreciation of artistic apparel and the acquisition of it is as appealing as the takeaways from chosen craft from faraway lands. In this case, it was Kutch that was at the epicenter of a recent exhibition at Ekru, the designer store helmed by Ruchira Kandhari and Ekta J