Chennai
Margazhi is a season of colours, music, dance and festivities during which artists from across the world gather in the city to celebrate traditional artforms of Tamil Nadu. Along with the festive mood comes the ensemble, which plays a vital role in showcasing the spirit of Margazhi.
With a vision to bring out the aura of the season, a city-based designer, Madhulika Kapilavayi has come up with a collection of unique six yards that any lady would want to stack up in her wardrobe.
Madhulika ,a visual communication graduate with experience in corporate and marketing, took a plunge into the world of sarees three year ago, when she came across a few traditional artisans in an NGO designing and weaving some of the most exquisite sarees that she has ever seen. When we ask her about the idea behind the brand name, the self-taught designer says, “The name Margazhi has a special aura to it, plus it was very catchy. Further, it brings back all the memories of the festivities I enjoyed at my grandmother’s place as a kid during this season. So, I zeroed-in on this name. On the saree front, I had grown up watching my mother and grandmother drape their crisp sarees with so much of adoration and happiness, which gave me the motivation to keep up with this beautiful tradition. My idea is to instil the thought in people’s mind that one can look stunning while sticking to your own roots, there is no need to change one’s personalities or tradition.” Starting with just 15 patchwork sarees and a few hundred followers in 2014, Madhulika’s steady progress can be seen through her Instagram and Pinterest page, that boasts of nearly half million followers today.
With her inane talent of designing five sarees in just 30 minutes and affinity towards bright hues, she churns out one of a kind patch work sarees with the help of her in-house tailor. Her creations are selling like hot cakes across Chennai as she does not repeat the designs more than once. “In Margazhi, we design patchwork sarees which start from the price range of Rs 7500 and I curate personalised looks with fabric, jewellery and accessories.
Once a saree is sold, we do not restock the same design, as I believe that change is the only constant. True, isn’t it?” asks the entrepreneur.
“All my sarees are the reflections of my personality, memories and observations and my clientele like the way I present the saree,” adds the 26-year old designer.
While conversing, we learn that the sarees are largely made of cotton sourced from Mangalagiri near Andhra Pradesh. “I have chosen Mangalagiri for its vibrant colours, flowy fabric and soft, season-friendly texture. The Mangalagiri and Venkatagiri fabric which comes in contrasting colours of pinks, blues and reds are fused with ajrakh, kalamkari, ikat and floral prints to create my exclusive patchwork sarees,” says Madhulika.
On her project for the upcoming month of Margazhi, Madhulika says, “For this season, I have planned to release one patchwork saree per day, which will also be a single edition like the rest of my sarees.” When we ask about her plans to establish stores in Chennai, she spontaneously says, “As I have a lot of international clients, my current focus is on bringing about a website than a store. I believe in taking one step at a time to create the best of experience for my customers as quality comes first, then comes quantity.”
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