The Armoire is a carefully curated luxe pop up shop which made its debut in Chennai in October 2015. It has since carved its name in the growing fashion landscape of the city as one of Chennai’s most anticipated events. Since its inception with only a handful of designers, The Armoire is now set to showcase a hand-picked selection of 45+ premium designers and labels from across the country at its eleventh instalment ‘The Celebration Edit’ on 12th September 2019 at Hyatt Regency, Chennai.
With each passing edition, The Armoire aims to introduce new designers and concepts across women’s apparel, accessories and lifestyle products. In keeping with the flavour of the season, The Armoire returns with its festive edition where one can look forward to a collection of eclectic Indian, fusion and western ensembles and accessories curated keeping the upcoming festive season in mind.
One of The Armoire’s strongest suits is its curation. The pop up shop is carefully curated to offer only the choicest fashion from brands one can trust, keeping seasonal trends, quality and pricing as its three main criteria. Care is also taken to ensure diversity and to avoid repetition of similar designers and products, thus offering a more refined and seamless shopping experience.
Another USP of The Armoire is its ability to cater to the ‘affordable luxury’ segment i.e. designer clothing without the hefty price tag. Chennai-ites now have access to fashion which does not compromise on quality or design, while still remaining easy on the pocket – a concept that is normally considered as mutually exclusive. Prices start at 2,000 upwards for accessories and 5,000 – 30,000 for clothing, to ensure that quality fashion is made accessible to women from all walks of life.
The line-up features well known designers such as Kavita Bhartia, I Am Design, Malasa and Kora by Anjali Kalia, while also giving a platform to upcoming designers from across the country to showcase their label alongside more recognised brands. A variety of styles are available for sale keeping in mind different aesthetics, age groups and occasions. From trendy indo-westerns to traditional outfits, from everyday essentials to destination wedding wear, The Armoire has something for everyone. Whether one is shopping for festivals, weddings, vacations or just looking to update their everyday wardrobe, one can be spoiled for choice at the pop up.
It should be noted that while it is the festive season, there are also plenty of designers who offer options that can be worn year round, such as Chennai based Kaveri, Ahmedabad based Purvi Kabra and Mumbai based Linen & Linens who are showcasing their latest line of cool cottons and linens which can be worn throughout the year owing to Chennai’s climate.
Lastly, through its participating labels, The Armoire also supports the revival of Indian crafts, weaving and dying techniques, embroideries and indigenous fabrics, which is extremely pertinent in today’s day and age of fast fashion. Many of the show’s participating designers are committed to supporting local crafts, artisans and sustainable manufacturing practices.
The Armoire is curated by founder Nandini Varshnei. After completing her degree in entrepreneurship at University College London (UCL) and a three year stint with a multinational bank, Nandini decided to follow her passion of putting together eclectic ensembles via carefully curated pop up shops. She asserts that The Armoire is very different from conventional exhibitions as it is personally curated, on trend, and offers customers a more refined shopping experience.
Participating Designers: (personal interviews can be arranged for more info)
Kavita Bhartia (Delhi): Kavita Bhartia has been one of the pioneers in the Indian fashion industry and the brand has, over the years, developed a global identity. Her collections are elegant with an irrepressible sense of fun and celebration. One can shop from their latest line of indo-western capes, draped dresses and shararas featuring a play of colours, fabrics, prints and embroidery. For the first time, the brand is also bringing to Chennai their all new semi-formal line under 10,000/-, which promises to be an exciting proposition for those looking to shop designer clothing without the designer price tag.
I Am Design (Delhi): Merging art with wearability, renowned label I AM DESIGN strives to create garments with an Indian sensibility and global appeal by using the Indian traditional crafts of dyeing, weaving and hand printing in an unconventional manner. With understated aesthetics and a keen eye for design, detail and perfection, the label’s signature style is constituted by ikat weaves and thread embroidery on silks and organzas in a carefully chosen colour palette.
Malasa (Delhi): Popular with brides and bridesmaids alike, Malasa by Nimrit, Sharan & Jyoti Gill is known for their contemporary cuts and effective sequin and bead work. Their signature style is constituted by fluid silhouettes, delicate embellishments and a pastel palette. One can look forward to their signature anarkalis, shararas and crop tops teamed with palazzos, along with their newly launched pret line of chanderi silks in innovative silhouettes.
Kora by Anjali Kalia (Delhi): True to its name, Kora, which means unsullied or pure, the label uses natural fabrics and hand-crafted textiles to create simple, graceful and elegant Indian wear for women of all ages and body types. The sombre colour palette, the subtle hand-embroidery and the classic silhouettes work well for people who believe that beauty lies in the subtle rather than the loud.
NEH (Delhi): Crowd favourite NEH returns to the pop up for the fifth time. The label is driven by the insatiable need to seamlessly bridge the gap between daily wear and festive clothing. Every garment at NEH is a joyful merriment of eclectic colours, soft fabrics and relaxed feminine fits that suit all body types. One can shop from their collection of delicately embellished pastel suits and anarkalis in fabrics like cotton, mulmul and chanderi that are just perfect for our climate.
Summer By Priyanka Gupta (Delhi): The Armoire is bringing famed designer Summer by Priyanka Gupta to Chennai for the first time. Inspired by the season of sunshine and cheer, Summer infuses the spirit of nature, freedom, and joy into their clothes through flowy silhouettes, cheeky detailing and cheery colours. Their pieces are designed to be functional and timeless, yet still very fresh and fun to wear.
Twenty Nine (Delhi): Also coming to Chennai for the first time is luxury pret label Twenty Nine, a tribute to the handcrafted traditions of the 29 states of India. Their current collections pay homage to the arts of bandhini from Rajasthan and mirror work from Kutch, Gujarat. The label was launched to create contemporary wear in traditional weaves, by daughter-in-law and mother-in-law duo Rhea and Sangita Gupta. Their love for weaves but a failed hunt for smart contemporary wear in traditional weaves had them launch their label.
Scarlet Sage (Mumbai): A label to watch out for, Scarlet Sage is a style destination where elegance meets fun in ready to wear western ensembles that bring together the vivid and flamboyant with the classic and sublime. Born of a dearth of statement pieces in India, the brand strives to curate collections of clothing from lesser known designers around the world that are unique, uber stylish and unconventional. They also love to experiment with different materials, techniques, presentation, patterns and materials, to create collections of a unique trademark, such as their recent foray into micro pleats.
Kaveri (Chennai): Homegrown label Kaveri uses the purest linen fabrics to create trans-seasonal, easy to wear clothing that is inspired by the natural beauty, texture, drape and history of the glorious fabric. Contemporary designs drape over the body in interesting and flattering silhouettes that can be styled in a multitude of ways, resulting in looks that are powerful, whimsical and effortlessly stylish. The brand has stores in Mumbai and Chennai and stocks in stores from France to the Maldives.
Mirage (Mumbai): Avant-garde yet classic in inspiration, Mirage tries to combine unparalleled craftsmanship with innovation to create unique pieces of jewellery. Their inspiration lies in experimenting with creativity and combining different elements like Swarovski, Semi Precious Stones, Pearls and Metals to produce beautiful works of wearable art.
The Pink Potli (Mumbai): Coveted label The Pink Potli offers a wide range of handcrafted bags including potlis, batwas and clutches that incorporate traditional styles of embroidery and embellishments to lend a more contemporary look. One of the most popular names in the industry, the label is stocked in highly curated boutiques across the country and is carried by Bollywood’s leading ladies like Aliaa Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor & Sonam Kapoor.
Doft Candles (Delhi): Just one of the many festive gifting solutions that are available at the pop up, Doft brings their collection of luxury scented candles that combine sensuous natural fragrances handcrafted in timeless glass, to Chennai for the first time. Their luxury collections reimagine glass entirely: from sheer to cut-glass, and honeycomb to ripple, every texture is skilfully blown by mouth and perfected with colour and glaze.
Other Clothing Labels: (ones in bold are coming to Chennai for the first time)
• Amrita KM (Delhi) • A.Projekt (Jaipur) • Arcvsh by Pallavi Sigh (Delhi) • Aruni (Delhi) • Drishti & Zahabia (Mumbai) • Eclat (Bangalore) • Evra (Delhi) • Homegrown (Delhi) • Kalista (Delhi) • Kritika Dawar (Delhi) • K.Anshika (Jaipur) • Lavanya Ahuja (Delhi) • Linen & Linens (Mumbai) • One By Three (Delhi) • Pasha (Jaipur), Prakriti (Jaipur) • Purvi Kabra (Ahmedabad) • Shivani Bhargava (Delhi) • Sureena Chowdhri (Delhi) • Richa Goenka (Chennai) • Trisara (Delhi) • Tritiya (Hyderabad) • Weave In India (Chennai) • Whimsical By Shica (Mumbai)
Other Clothing Labels: (ones in bold are coming to Chennai for the first time)
• Attrangi (Jewellery – Mumbai) • Dori (Jewellery – Dubai) • Gifted (Home – Chennai) • Juicy Chemistry (Beauty – Coimbatore) • Stoffa (Footwear – Mumbai)
• Studio Accessories (Hair Accessories – Delhi)
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