Textile designer Gaurang Shah who specialises in handlooms, strengthened his online presence (gaurang.co) earlier this year to entice buyers seeking the safer option of an online purchase as opposed to store visits during a pandemic. Handloom saris and ensembles for women are the label’s mainstay. However, diversifying into clothing for men and children, Gaurang has also launched portals to address these categories (men.gaurang.co and little.gaurang.co).
The collections in all three categories are made possible by more than 800 weavers and craftspeople who work with the label. The catalogue for men includes Gaurang’s signature handwoven bandi jackets, kurtas and sherwanis with traditional motifs and contemporary textures: “There was a strong demand from my clients to expand my signature to menswear, and I thought this is the right time to launch them,” says the designer.
Some of the pieces have involved months of weaving using jamdani technique. Various textures have been created infusing yarns such as khadi, muga silk, tussar silk and organza.
The Little Gaurang section has clothing in handwoven fabrics using natural dyes for children in the age group of 0 to 12. “The fabric that touches a child’s skin matters, since their skin is delicate. Our clothing is as natural as it can be, without harmful chemicals and synthetic fabrics,” adds Gaurang.
