Holstee Manifesto

Life has been a bit crazy for me lately…(8 week old twins and a toddler:). Shall I say more. It’s always nice to have reminders about the things that are important. That is how I discovered this manifesto poster by Holstee. I eagerly looked up the company and fell in love their story and products. Two brothers, along with a business partner started the company without a business plan in mind but instead created a mantra “This is your LIFE”, which has been seen over 50,000,000 times!

Another meaningful product that caught my attention is Holstee’s Upcycled Wallet. Working with an NGO in India, Holstee came up with a ‘no two alike’ wallet made from recycled plastic bags and newspapers collected from the streets of Delhi.

Check out this video based upon the Manifesto. This video will be part of my new morning routine! Sometimes certain words are so encouraging. Life is all about that. Thank you HOLSTEE.

source: Holstee and YouTube

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• Sound Horn Please says:
  January 25, 2012 at 7:02 pm
  

  Congratulations on the twins, ST! Wonderful news though I can expect how tiring it must be.. Glad to see that you are back!

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MUNY and our Spring Trunkshow

Hi everyone! Richa from Mala Handmade here happy to report that BollyInstyle’s first designer get-together was a rousing success! When a regular reader and Moonsoup boutique owner contacted us about hosting some artisans we had recently featured on the blog for an event, we loved the idea. Building an online community is fantastic, but having the chance to meet people we write about and help introduce them to the public is really special. It’s so nice to share stories and trade tips with other designers that share a similar aesthetic and appreciation for how hard it is to start a business! But I’m thrilled that we also got the chance to meet other designers that came out to the event.

Samara Mahendru dropped by the event and introduced me to her adorable new children’s line, MUNY (which stands for Mumbai & New York). Samara is currently based in New York but grew up in India with a passion for textiles that I can completely understand. After spending 12 years in New York City working in fashion and design, she launched MUNY with the mission to combine the traditional Indian textiles with contemporary colors and motifs, giving the clothes an eclectic, bohemian and multicultural aesthetic. She aims for a simple, clean silhouette and airy color palettes that feel perfect for children. What I really love, though, is that Samara took the traditional practice of handblocking and amped it up with a twist in her debut collection. In order to give expression to a graphic and illustrative style she loves, Samara designed cute airplanes, skateboarding owls, bold spirals and zigs zags that are handblocked in the traditional Rajasthani style. The result is a playful & whimsical debut collection I adore! I’m grateful that Samara came out to the BollyInstyle event at Moonsoup and shared her designs with us. Here’s the first of many great collaborations aimed at discovering emerging Asian talent!

source: Gurmeet Kaur and MUNY

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• Sundeep @ Designwali says:
  May 12, 2011 at 4:08 am
  

  Looks like you guys had a fantastic gathering!

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Rehna Pendse

Hi everyone! It’s Richa from Mala Handmade with some thoughts about sustainable design. We’ve posted an awful lot recently about designers working with eco friendly fabrics or working with indigenous tribes, which is a trend I hope outlasts other fads. I’ve been giving a lot of thought, however, to the designs of newcomer Rehna Pendse, a New York based designer lauching her debut collection for Fall/Winter 2011. The collection is sophisticated and sexy – it’s the kind of contemporary look I can see at home right on the fifth floor of Saks or Bergdorf Goodman. The lookbook is sleek and filled with some great party looks – a strapless black lace dress, one shoulder purple mini, and slim silver pants perfect for you long-limbed ladies out there. Pendse describes her line as taking you on a journey to a world of freedom where women dare to be strong and different.

Pendse’s high-end collection is also made of 95% sustainable fabrics like cottons, silks, and wools and she’s stated her commitment to working with working with responsible boutiques and manufacturers, as well as promoting the female workforce – which is why I’ve got the collection on my mind! I realized that looking through the lookbook, I never expected Pendse’s collection to be socially conscious – which means I’ve created a stereotype of sustainable South Asian design! I’m used to Asian designers committed to sustainable design using ethnic motifs and Indian sourced fabrics cut into “western” silhouettes but not many collections that don’t overtly reference India. Pendse’s collection is fresh, modern, and not a blend of east-meets-west which is totally refreshing. I’m grateful for the chance to see work that challenges my preconceived notions on eco-conscious fashion and love Pendse’s take on sustainable design!

source: Rehna Pendse

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• Shaun Patterson says:
  March 24, 2011 at 5:57 pm
  

  When is she going to start making men’s clothing?

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CHAKRA Design Studio

Morning all. Let’s get down to business! Beautiful kiddie clothes from CHAKRA Design Studio was born out of a love for India, textiles, colour, and of course wanting to keep it all GREEN. Owners, Bindu Kasinadhuni and Sara Hignite uses a technique called Kalamkari, which is a type of block printing. Who knew there were different types of block printing? I know for sure I LOVE them all. These clothes are SO dang cute!!! If only I had a little girl:)

The great part of the entire collection is that each piece is handcrafted in India from vegetable-dyed by a non-profit, ideasforwomen.org. And it’s 100% cotton!

According to their site, it looks like CHAKRA will be introducing their bohemian Indian concept in CHAKRA for her and CHAKRA abode. Oh my! I’ll be stalking their website to see what’s in store for it’s women’s and home furnishings lines.

source: CHAKRA Design Studio

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Karishma Shahani Yatra Collection

Hi everyone! It’s Richa from Mala Handmade, happy to be back and blogging for BollyInstyle. It’s been a tough winter practically everywhere, but certainly here on the east coast and it’s no surprise that during the doldrums of February, I’ve got color on my mind. Vivid mixes of vibrant colors are a staple of Indian design – a concept that fashion and textile designer Karishma Shahani is certainly mastering. The London College of Fashion graduate’s 2011 “Yatra” collection is a visual feast: lush cottons tailored into imaginative silhouettes and – a personal favorite – styled in layers which is perfect for a transition to spring.

Karishma describes her inspiration for the collection as “elements from the multiple layers of India’s vibrant culture that continuously creates colourful, vivid and eclectic experiences for the onlooker.” She adds that the colors are picked from traditional painting of Indian Gods and recreated through natural methods of dyeing, which creates a collection whose essence is a reflection of the Indian lifestyle of re-interpretation of materials and their function at every step, always re-using and recycling, creating heirlooms that are passed down through generations. I keep flipping through the pictures of the collection, impressed with the bold colors and pop sensibility to the design. While I love overt Indian references in my clothing – traditional paisley motifs and hand embroidery – I’m craving innovative takes on South Asian design and Karishma’s work hits the high mark. Let us know here at BI whether it inspires you!



source: Karishma Shahani FB

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