Royalty meets contemporary at Faabiiana, the new fashion label at Galleria 1910

Faabiiana, the Jaipur-based fashion brand by Kusum and Karishma Luharuwala, known for its gorgeous ethnicwear, now has an address in Calcutta. Housed in the luxurious Galleria 1910 on Camac Street, they have launched with their pret and couture lines at the recently restored, century-old heritage building by Aditya Poddar.

Spread across 1,500sq ft and two floors, the scent of fresh flowers, chequered floors, wooden stairs, mirror-work on the walls and large chandeliers lend a regal feel. Occasion wear, bridals, semi-bridal and semi-formals weave in a story of vintage charm and royal Indian heritage blended perfectly with contemporary fashion and style sensibilities. “In this store we have tried to create a colour story. I hail from Jaipur and have always been fond of the royal palaces. So, this is one of the reasons why I chose Galleria 1910. Right from the store decor to the collection, it has a touch of Rajasthan in it. My collection largely comprises bridals, where one can shop for everything from Mehndi to shaadi all under one roof. I love glass-work and flowers, and the structure of Galleria has allowed me to add that to my decor. The store showcases designs from Rajasthan, Kutch, Jaipur and Lucknow. Galleria as a heritage building relates so well with the brand Faabiiana in terms of its royalty,” said Karishma.

1

(L-R) Mohammed Iqbal got into an ivory chikan kurta with mukaish work, designed with jadau buttons, and teamed it with ivory pants. Riya Bhattacherjee looked bright and festive in the mango yellow silk sari with gota patti, pearl work and metal sequins. Classy, elegant and graceful was Jessica Aaron in a silver Benarasi lehnga designed with pearl work, gota patti and metallic sequins with the perfect amount of shine and shimmer. Diti Saha channelled a dewy-fresh look in the chikan Anarkali paired with a crushed cotton skirt designed with golden gota work at the hemline and a bright yellow bandhni dupatta embellished with pearls, metal sequins and aari work. Sonu Kumar was wedding party ready in a yellow georgette chikan kurta with mukaish work and paired with ivory handloom cotton pants.

Pabitra Das

2

The ground floor of the store stocks lehngas, ready-to-wear saris, kurta and dupatta sets and Anarkalis in bright colours like pink, red and yellow as well as pastels. Lots of Jaipuri print, Lucknowi chikan, bandhnis with chikan and bandhnis from Jaipur, Bhuj and Kutch. “We specialise in three-four crafts and we have mixed the creative. We usually have a lot of silks too that can be worn all year round. We also work a lot on nets and Benarasis. There is a lot of sequin work, metallic sequins, mukaish, gota patti, hand-printed polka blocks and pearl work on the outfits. I am a big Chanel fan, so I am very attracted to pearls. We don’t use anything that is screen-printed or done using machine. All are handmade and requires great time and effort,” said Karishma.

Pabitra Das

3

The first floor mostly features blacks, blues and ivories for evening wear. There are a lot of handloom Benarasis and velvets in this section besides chikan and bandhnis. This part of the store also has the Raas Garba bandhni from Kutch on display. “The Raas Garba bandhni is considered auspicious for weddings and has the wedding theme designed on it along with Rajasthani gota patti work. The pret line features a lot of organza and linen. This section of the store also has a few cotton outfits,” said Karishma.

Pabitra Das

4

The first floor mostly features blacks, blues and ivories for evening wear. There are a lot of handloom Benarasis and velvets in this section besides chikan and bandhnis. This part of the store also has the Raas Garba bandhni from Kutch on display. “The Raas Garba bandhni is considered auspicious for weddings and has the wedding theme designed on it along with Rajasthani gota patti work. The pret line features a lot of organza and linen. This section of the store also has a few cotton outfits,” said Karishma.

Pabitra Das

5

Black-and-white portraits of Maharani Gayatri Devi and the palaces and forts of Jaipur make up a beautifully decorated wall. “We do a lot of embroideries like aari work, tamba gota and zari in gold and silver that were used during the time of Maharani Gayatri Devi. The peachish-ivory tone of the store enhances our clothes and the colour palette that we work with,” said Karishma.

Pabitra Das