Aesthetically elegant!

Anavila Misra, the designer behind the artisanal label Anavila, is known for reintroducing the saree as an everyday fashion and strongly believes in 'being one with the environment'. Her designs communicate the revival of handcrafts and sustainability of fashion's auxiliary industries and are structured for luxury and comfort.

With an honours degree in Management, a post-graduation from NIFT and a decade of work experience in the industry, Mumbai-based Anavila was moulded for excellence. She says, "I graduated from NIFT in 2000 and after that, I started working with a few corporate firms. I worked with 'Madura Garments' for a year which was my campus placement.

After that, I was worked with 'Louis Phillipe' men's wear brand for four years and I took a break and worked with the government weavers with the clusters and handloom. There I transected into my own brand, that started in the year 2011."

As a child she was always interested in design, she says, "I was into the creating something by hand and as I grew, I understood what I like. I thought that textile and fashion took that important in my life and that how I moved towards it."

To reach this point of life was not a cake walk for her. "I had four years of corporate life… and then I had my son; later I took up a government project for three years. I used all these years just thinking about what I want to do. Then I took my time to think. Living in a city like Mumbai, taking care of your child and trying to do something on your own is not an easy task. As I work with clusters, I have to travel a lot.

Initially, I had to take my son along as I could not leave him behind. My husband had a corporate job and he was busy with that. Now, when I look back it looks like my son cooperated very well with me and he enjoyed what I was doing. So that was challenging to take care of my child and making him a part of my design journey."

There is brilliance in the simplicity of her design. The unique linens and linen-blends are structured for comfort and luxury. "I work with linen in sarees and then we add zari and block print or a different kind of weave, but it is mostly a linen saree. When I was thinking about what I shall do and what should be my signature, I wanted to give saree a more contemporary look.

Right now, the collection is inspired by a place 'Sa Pa' in Vietnam. It is a very ethnic minority driven region and has a lot of crafts, textiles, etc. They only work with the colour indigo and natural yarns like cotton hemp. We have taken this collection into the natural feel and most are dye with natural colours. There are techniques like cording, pleating and embroidery."

The designer, who reintroduced the saree as everyday wear, Anavila recommends the garment as an elegant replacement for jeans and shirt. The blouses are interestingly designed for comfort and flexibility of matching separates. Demystifying the conventional and complicated saree drapes, Anavila shows how each drape can be as unique as the person who wears it.

"I think women are moving around all the time and working all the time. I think comfort is very important and comfort is the trend. When you go to a designer label you look at the design and colour that looks pretty, but also you seek into comfort which is easy for summer.

So, for us also it's important in that way, it's important to be aesthetically beautifully curated collections, but the underlined factor is that everything we make is comfortable. I feel that is a new trend." One can get Anavila'c collection in Hyderabad at Ogaan and Elahe Urban.