Uthara Menon’s ‘Under the Mango Tree’ celebrates vintage saris and conscious fashion

CHENNAI: Clothes can make a statement, but they can also tell a story, evoke a time gone by or make everyday life a little more comfortable. For costume designer Uthara Menon, clothing is an extension of how she feels, lives and sees the world. At Under the Mango Tree, her pop-up, this comes together in a collection that moves between colourful casual wear, Indo-western outfits, festive ensembles, heritage saris and functional garments designed around women’s needs.

“I don’t particularly follow trends. I love to play with colour. It’s just an extension of expression and feeling,” says Uthara, whose work spans television commercials and feature films across industries.

Uthara began her career styling television commercials before moving into feature films. Her association with filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon, who is also her brother, began with a commercial he directed, eventually opening the door to cinema. Although she has worked on several of his films, including Yennai Arindhaal and Enai Noki Paayum Thota, her work extends beyond that association, with credits across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema.

For Uthara, costume design involves much more than selecting outfits. She develops character concepts and sketches, explores colour palettes and works with the production designer and cinematographer to ensure that the costumes complement the film’s visual language.

“The whole idea is every frame should be seamless. Nothing should stand off or look garish or suddenly disturb your eye,” she explains, adding that the aim is to keep the audience focused on the character and the dialogue.

One of her memorable approaches was styling Trisha’s character in Yennai Arindhaal, who is established as a Bharatanatyam dancer. Uthara gave the character a Bohemian sensibility with a classical touch, using vibrant colours and Indo-western styles.

Her work on period films has offered a different creative challenge. For the Telugu film Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, she developed styling concepts for the cast, including Amitabh Bachchan and Chiranjeevi, drawing on historical references to recreate the clothing of an earlier era. She also recalls the extensive concept-art work involved in Kathanar, which required the team to imagine how people from a distant historical period might have dressed.

It is this freedom to research, sketch and bring an imagined world to life that excites her. The same instinct to experiment with colour, silhouette and detail now finds expression in her independent clothing collection.

At Under the Mango Tree, Uthara brings together everyday wear, party outfits, festive clothing and Indo-western styles, alongside the soft launch of her heritage sari collection, B’less braless everyday wear and Bloom post-mastectomy recovery garments. The collection reflects her preference for pieces that feel distinctive rather than mass-produced or trend-based.

The pop-up also marks the launch of her heritage sari collection, a venture she is developing to revive vintage styles that she believes deserve a place in contemporary wardrobes.

“I am very old school. I love the classic vintage styles and have always tried to take a leaf out of the old,” she says.

She feels that fashion can sometimes be driven by peer pressure and the desire to be seen, rather than by an appreciation of what one genuinely enjoys wearing. Her answer is to bring back styles that are timeless, tasteful and beautiful.

Her eye for fashion was also shaped at home. Uthara credits her mother, whom she describes as a fashionista, for teaching her the importance of tailoring and putting an outfit together. That attention to detail, combined with her own instinct for colour, continues to influence her designs.

The collection experiments with textiles and colour, with dresses crafted from banana silk and hemp silk, alongside flaxseed cotton and natural dyes. Kanchi cotton finds its place in the mix, too, while the heritage sari collection brings vintage weaves into focus. The idea is to bring together varied fabrics, traditional textiles and contemporary silhouettes, reflecting Uthara’s preference for classic styles with an individual touch.

Two of Uthara’s clothing initiatives address specific needs that can be overlooked in mainstream fashion: B’less, her braless everyday-wear line, and Bloom, a functional garment collection for women recovering from mastectomy surgery.

B’less emerged from personal experience. Having lived with neck and shoulder pain, Uthara wanted to explore an alternative that could be comfortable enough for everyday use.

“I just wanted to share my relief with everyone,” she says. The line features form-fitting garments designed to provide a snug fit. For Uthara, the idea is not simply about a different style of dressing, but about making comfort an everyday possibility.

Bloom came from witnessing a more specific and vulnerable experience. Someone close to Uthara was reluctant to be seen in public with the drain bags and tubes required during post-mastectomy recovery. Uthara realised that a simple clothing solution could help conceal them and restore a sense of confidence.

“It was a simple fix of concealment, and it really brought a smile to her face,” she recalls.

The garments are designed to accommodate the practical needs of recovery while allowing women to move around more comfortably instead of feeling confined to their homes. Uthara uses soft, breathable cotton fabrics, mindful of the need to avoid irritating sensitive skin.

She is also exploring ways to extend the usefulness of these garments beyond the initial recovery period. Since they may be needed for only a few weeks, she hopes to repurpose suitable pieces for regular wear or pass them on to women who cannot afford them, potentially through charitable institutions. She is working towards building awareness and connecting with hospitals and medical professionals to take the initiative further.

“I’m a sucker for classic,” she says. In a fashion landscape that often moves at the speed of the next trend, Uthara’s approach is to look back, think differently and create clothes that find a place in real life.

Under the Mango Tree is on at Vinyl and Brew, Alwarpet, Chennai, until October 24. For clothing options, orders and further details, visit utharamenon.com.