In 2018, when Deepika Padukone wore two saris from label Advaya for her wedding, it put the Bengaluru-based brand under the spotlight. But the brand’s success story started way before that when it was launched in 2010. “Advaya means unique and we live up to that name as a brand,” says KH Radharaman, founder of the label, who also started The House of Angadi in 2001.
Radharaman comes from a family that has been in the business of textiles for 600 years, with a background as master weavers and court weavers. So, it comes as a surprise that he is not a trained designer but an engineer. However, when he speaks about textiles and innovation, one can sense the passion.
“My motivation to come back to textile was two-fold. I had a family history which made it easier to think about it as one of the options. Ultimately, the fact that I was an engineer and wanted to be an entrepreneur was another starting point.”
He learnt on the job, designing for international design houses. By the end of 2009, Radharaman felt it was necessary to do design intervention and work on woven textiles for the Indian market. “I started doing things that were different. One of the first innovations was introducing linen blended in Kanjeevaram. Back then, linen in handwoven textile in India was not heard of,” he says, adding, “There was a need for a different identity under which we could house these innovations. That’s how Advaya was born.”
The design studio is in Bengaluru, where they weave, embroider and print. But the label also work works with clusters across the country. “We do a lot of work in Varanasi, Kancheepuram, Kota, kantha in West Bengal, chikankari in UP…”
This weekend, Advaya will bring three series of its womenswear and menswear to Chennai. The Eternal Series has motifs like plumes of the peacock and mystical creepers in traditional reds, soft pinks, flame orange and bottle green. The Heritage Series revisits the family’s 600-year-old design roots and revives traditional and archival designs and techniques that are not in circulation. The Contemporary Series is inspired by minimalist nuances in art and architecture, and includes handwoven ikat from Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, tanchoi technique from Benaras, and kantha from Bengal.
Since the label does not do ready-to-wear for women yet, there will only be saris, while the menswear comprises shirts, kurtas, bundis, bandhgalas, trousers, and accessories like pocket squares in fabrics like tussar, silk, linen and linen blends.
“All my work under Advaya is compiled in the form of series. We don’t design collections that are seasonal in nature, rather we build a series of design. Designs that are perpetually going to be relevant,” he says.
Advaya will be on display at The Folly in Amethyst on August 30 and 31, 11am onwards.