When one thinks of the Festival of Lights, immediately, images of colourful and vibrant Indian traditional wear, lavish accessories and bold makeup come to find.
Dressing for Deepavali is always an exciting endeavour for those who celebrate, as well as those visiting friends and attending events during this time.
The intricacy of a beautiful saree, with all its embellishments and carefully crafted detailing, is hard to beat in terms of opulence.
For those looking at what to wear this year, here’s a look on the current trends and how the demand for more options drives the retail market.
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Top trends for Deepavali
“I think the main colours this season will be warm colours like deep reds and maroon, burnt oranges, mustard yellows, and eggplant purple. Pops of lime greens and pinks are also popular right now. Floral printed items are also trending,” opines Aisha Rawji, who owns the store Kynah, based in Los Angeles, the US.
She has also observed that a lot of people are looking to get outfits that are convenient and easy, such as ready-to-wear, pre-draped sarees, as well as shararas/ghararas as they are easy to wear and comfortable.
Navin Rajaratnam, who started local brand Resham by Sofistiq with Kumaraesinggam Balasingam has noticed that consumers are going for unconventional colours such as sand, soft pinks, cardamom, whites and sky blue this year.
“Black is usually shunned, but we have had a few who have picked up our one black and white creation.”
To Yessh Ravin, who founded local brand Yeshan Sarees with Mir Momin, ready-to-wear sarees are a trend that is gaining traction fast.
“Due to the massive following and demand in various demographics and races, ready-to-wear sarees are very in trend. They are easy to maintain and reach wider audiences,” she says.Another thing in Deepavali dressing, and Indian clothing in general, is the move towards more comfortable choices.
“Wearing colourful and floral prints during Diwali is pretty common but I do think there has been a shift from wanting to be the most glam to wanting to be the most comfortable,” says Aisha.
“The fact we were stuck at home for a good amount of time during the pandemic, lately people have been prioritising comfort and versatility. They want to get something that they can wear again for another event or something they can mix and match with what they already have in their wardrobe.”
Yessh echoes this sentiment, stating that comfort should always be prioritised.
“Comfort should always be the priority. Fashion should always be served with comfort and quality, and chosen for that reason consistently,” she says.
Suzana Shafie of Agham boutique finds that silk sarees are a favourite in all age groups.
“Lately, one difference that has been implemented into silk sarees is the colour palette,” says Suzana, who founded the business with Santhy Muthalu.
“Pastel colours are in demand now and it comes with copper or silver borders, it gives a subtle and elegant look. Ombre sarees are also one of the best trends this year, dark and light shades of the same colour or different colour in a saree, giving off a two-toned effect.”
She adds that floral patterns are definitely rising in popularity, as they give off a fresh look and they are a simple and classy way to bring two timeless fashion trends together.
Saree solutions
Indian garments have been around for centuries, and while they are a wardrobe staple in their country of origin, in farther-flung places, they can be a bit hard to come by.
Even in places where sarees are easy to find, designs and cuts may be limited. Millennials and Gen-Zs want to honour tradition by wearing heritage garments with pride, but they also want to wear clothes that fit into their lifestyles and personal style.
Because of this, style enthusiasts all over the world are finding ways to bring Indian clothing to the forefront of fashion.
Aisha’s clothing store Kynah, which offers a variety of Indian designer outfits, was borne out of a need for clothing that was not available where she was.
“My mum had been in the Indian fashion industry and had her own clothing store here in LA so I definitely drew my inspiration from that,” explains Aisha.
“She would get all these amazing clothes from India and no one here could get them. If you wanted a nice outfit, you would either have to have connections or you would have to make the trip to India yourself!”
Realising that there was a disconnect between how one shopped for Indian clothes in India versus the US, Aisha decided to bridge the gap by working with different designers to come up with made-to-order garments.
Resham by Sofistiq was started at the end of 2019 to complement the founders Navin and Kumaraesinggam’s existing bridal makeup business, but it was also an answer to a need for high quality Indian clothing.
They realised that there was a void in the market in terms of exceptional quality Kanchievaram silk sarees in unique designs and colours. Later, they added a menswear arm to the business – Resham Homme.
“Even our brides always voiced the same frustration,” says Navin.
“The both of us used to assist our cousins with their weddings in terms of planning, helping them with their outfits and so on, so we also knew what was available out there. We knew that colours such as onion pink, mauve, rose gold, ash and such were colours we didn’t come across in the stores and boutiques here.”
This is what drove them to start their Kanchievaram saree boutique business, a highly-personalised store that reflected their modern aesthetics and outlook in life.
The duo work with a cluster of traditional handloom weavers from Kanchipuram in India to curate handloom bridal Kanchievaram silk.
“We keep it modern and chic but with touches of traditional components as we do not want to completely stray away from the beauty of a Kanchievaram silk saree and also the age-old techniques of these weavers who have passed on this knowledge and art from father to son,” explains Navin.
“Wearing a handloom Kanchiveram silk saree is like wearing a piece of art as each saree takes months to weave and each process from dyeing the individual threads, to drying it, spinning it and finally weaving is all done by hand, so each saree has some flaws or distinct characteristic that makes it a piece of art as there is never two exact same piece of art in the world.”
For Yessh, Yeshan Sarees came into existence with the aim to bring Indian ethnic fashion to a wider audience.
“The rich heritage of Indian ethnicity has been a talk of the world, but we found it was forgotten in fashion industry here,” says Yessh.
“Yeshan Sarees was born to make that change and to showcase the lavish heritage of India through fabrics.”
After years of research and development, operations kicked off in 2018 and today, they have a store in Pavilion Bukit Jalil and an online presence offering sarees, kurtis, lehengas and blouses.
“We make sarees with more than 10 different types of fabrics, in 6 different states in India, using both power loom and handloom weaving techniques catering to casual wear, party wear, festive wear or wedding wear,” says Yessh, who also recently launched a couture subsidiary, The Proudly.
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Evolution of style
“For example, ruffles, feathers, and asymmetrical cut-outs are a few elements of many that are trending right now,” opines Aisha.
“People also have definitely started to value comfort more now! We even have brides who get sharara pants to change into after their reception or ceremony so that they can move around and dance comfortably, and we are here for it.”
Aisha also notes that people value versatility and sustainability, asking questions about the fabric and quality of the outfits, and she believes this drives designers to make sure that they use materials that are up to their customer’s standards.
“A lot of people are looking for different ways to wear their outfits so I think a lot of designs that are being put out right now are created keeping that in mind - they are being made so that they can be worn more than once and can be mixed and matched with another set!”
In Navin’s view, colours have evolved so much over the years.
“In the 80s and 90s the palette was strong with contrasting colours. You had green and red, purple and yellow, red and blue, and while these are still there, we have colours such as rose gold, ash, periwinkle and so on.
“These saree colours have incorporated thread in just not gold, but rose gold, antique gold but we are also seeing a comeback of copper and silver thread as well, which used to be popular some 30 years ago. “
He observes that sarees have definitely become more modern in terms of design and style.
“For kanchievaram silk sarees, the amalgamation of various other weaving techniques from other states in India has played a big part in it. We have the grandeur of Banarasi silk sarees which are heavy brocade sarees, but have lovely patterns on it, which the Kanchievaram handloom weavers have pull inspiration from and now we have handloom Kanchiveram silk sarees but with Banarasi inspired designs.”
Suzana notes that old traditional saree styling and designs are being rediscovered, and people are getting creative with them, for example, wearing their sarees with jeans, blazers and belts.
“And they prefer something more simple, elegant and lightweight,” she says.
With all these tips in mind, if you haven’t shopped for your Deepavali garb, you’re now all set!
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