Shreya Mehra and Archana Jaju, designers based in different corners of the country, are trying to keep traditional crafts and techniques alive by incorporating them in contemporary clothes
Amritsar girl Shreya Mehra struggled to find a nice handmade Phulkari in the streets of her city, only to end up with dupattas in machine work in limited designs. A journalist by training, born and raised in the family of tech professionals, Shreya found her calling during Covid. As her job lost its charm being locked up home, she thought of getting back to pursue traditional Phulkari. “Duringresearch, I found that Phulkari was never a commercial art but a generationally inherited skill for personal use,” says Shreya. Punjab being on the Silk Route, silk thread was used on khaddar traditionally. Post Partition, as families in Punjab struggled to be financially viable, Phulkari took commercial hue and lost much of its charm.
Shreya went on to research through village clusters, looking for pre-Partition designs, and was bowled over by the tremendous variety and skill. “It’s very difficult to lay hands on a good hand-embroidered piece of Phulkari.”
Having seen Ikkat and Kantha on contemporary clothing, Shreya wondered how no one thought of Phulkari. Thus, she got on a mission to bring it back into vogue. While visiting village clusters, she struggled to find artisans who would do Phulkari on a kaftan or a jacket. With the help of her designer friends, she started training them. “To keep a dying art alive, one has to use it on clothes that are worn daily. Everyday-wear sure has higher demand than dupattas,” reasons Shreya, who founded the label Aab in 2021. Her collections have hand-embroidered Phulkari on shirts, kaftans, co-ord sets and short jackets. Her approach is minimal—a dash of motifs on collars or cuffs or at the hemlines, which lifts up a simple piece.
Three years on, she has a team of 30 and the available collections can be ordered online through her label site, Aab. While it’s largely women-wear, for men and children, one can order customised outfits. “We have got a very warm response from Tier-1 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Markets with generational wealth are our customer base.” They did a three-day pop-up in New York pre-Diwali and got a positive response, but Punjab is yet to warm up to the idea. “Punjab loves to spend its money on Gucci and Prada, and yet to dole out money to new brands,” she says.
Aab, her label’s name, stands for water. “In Persian and Punjabi, aab is water. Our brand is deeply imbued in spirituality and Indian mythology, thus water. By engaging the essence of heirloom crafts, we are rekindling the relationship between people and their cultural legacies,” says Shreya. So far, five collections by her are out—Nila, Prayag, Som, Matsya and Trikon. Nila celebrates fluid and flowy blue outfits, Prayag, a sangam of rivers, is a confluence of the heritage crafts of Ikkat and Phulkari. Som is a collection of Phulkari motifs inspired by the phases of the moon. Matsya has marine life motifs on contemporary silhouettes, while Trikon offers geometrical motifs and anti-fit styles. With a starting price of Rs 3,500, a champion for sustainability, these collections are available round the year.
Aab takes inspiration from all five distinctive and beautiful types of Phulkari designs—Baghs, Darshan, Dewars, Sainchis, Thirmas and Chopes—offering designs that can be worn anywhere,” says Shreya.
Preserving heritage: Archana Jaju
“The younger generation is now looking for pieces that are versatile, yet carry the charm of heritage,” says designer Archana Jaju, who loves to balance tradition and modernity in her designs. Having been passionate about designing since her childhood, her dreams got wings when she got married into a family that boasted of being one of the first weavers of Chanderi handloom in India. Hyderabad-based Jaju works with handloom and craft-clusters ranging from Kalamkari from the south to Bandhani from Kutch to Parsi gara from hinterland Bengal. “Traditional handlooms getting a modern twist signifies the adaptability of our heritage to current lifestyles,” she avers.
In her latest collections, she has extensively worked with Kalamkari and Chikankari. Kalamkari reflects intricate hand-painted designs steeped in cultural narratives, while Chikankari brings a delicate elegance with its timeless embroidery. “It’s not just about creating garments, it’s about preserving our heritage and empowering the community behind it,” she believes. Sustainability might be a recent Western concept, but our traditional techniques are inherently sustainable. They rely on natural fibres, dyes and handwork, which minimise the environmental footprint. “Supporting these practices aligns perfectly with the modern ethos of mindful consumption and sustainability,” she points out.
