Express News Service
CHENNAI: Despite the damp weather and low-hanging clouds, Buva House on Khader Nawaz Khan Road glittered and shone brightly with the colour and glamour from the several stalls by national brands. Glittering cloth and sparkling jewellery were displayed across the room, offering the customer ample variety to feast on. The Festive Soiree was curated by a mother-daughter duo, Aasha Hareesh and Neha Relwani of Style Trunk Co.
On the left, Exhale, a Mumbai-based company run by 27-year-old Palak Shah, displayed t-shirts with quotes from people with mental health issues in an effort to bring more awareness towards bullying, body shaming, sexual harassment and depression. Despite the e-commerce brand being established only four months ago, the change it has brought is visible, especially during this month — Mental Health Awareness Month. “My best friend was a lot healthier when we were in school. There used to be a carving of a pig with her name written underneath on every desk. After many people shared their stories, at least two of my classmates called me up and offered to apologise to my friend. It may seem small to us, but it is a big deal for those who went through such issues,” said Palak, whose products range from `700 to `2,000.
On the other end of the room, O Layla by designer Ritu Kumar features long, beautifully designed dresses in unique cuts and patterns. After her visit to the city in April, Ritu realised the dearth in products by designer labels and thus brought her brand down from Mumbai. “All my designs are made with natural, hand-woven textiles with unique and interesting shapes and cuts. I love to travel but don’t like to have a separate wardrobe for it, so I made the fashion line for those women who can continue to wear Indian patterns and textile in places like New York and Singapore,” said Ritu, whose designs were displayed at Lakme India Fashion week, along with labels like Mayank Anand, Shraddha Nigam and Chalk Studio, which were also present at the pop-up.
First-time exhibitors like Mini Moi and Jaya’a Coture had also put up their stalls, along with several local food and beverage start-ups and home businesses like Pratz Nutletz and Habit Juice Co.The event was inaugurated by Kalpana Sonthalia, Sneha Nair, Consul of the American Consulate Lauren Lovelace, Rachna Kumar, Kavitha Modi, life coach, Nina Reddy, joint managing director of Savera Hotel and was graced by the presence of the Thai Consul-General, Krongkanit Rakcha.
What will you find
First-time exhibitors like Mini Moi and Jaya’a Coture had put up their stalls, along with several local food and beverage start-ups and home businesses like Pratz Nutletz and Habit Juice Co.
